Research Goal

The goal of our research is to determine how cell adhesion components contribute to choroid fissure closure (CFC-closure of the ventral eye), and, more specifically, how the adhesion proteins/complexes mediate intracellular signaling and subsequent regulation of cytoskeletal stability required for proper closure. Zebrafish offer a powerful model system through which the molecular and cellular underpinnings of CFC can be elucidated due to the diverse array of imaging, genetic and molecular tools available in the system. Our previous research establishes a system through which discrete events during eye development can be dissected at the cellular and molecular level. Our future research builds upon these studies, and focuses on dissecting the molecular underpinnings of tissue fusion in the choroid fissure.