ANAT2341 Lab 8

2. Dr. Annemiek Beverdam (UNSW) - "Stem cell regulation in normal skin regeneration and in skin disease"

Dr. Annemiek Beverdam studies the genetic processes that govern development, homeostasis and regeneration of the skin in the mouse. Her research aims at understanding the genetic and molecular basis of developmental and human regenerative skin diseases such as skin cancer, which affects 2 out of 3 Australians in their life time. Her lab recently made the pivotal discoveries that Yes-associated protein (YAP) functions acts as a key molecular switch in epidermal stem/progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation [1] by driving β-Catenin Activation [2]. Dr. Beverdam currently investigates the developmental genetic context in which YAP functions to control skin stem/progenitor cells in normal and in disrupted skin biology. She employs genetically manipulated mouse models, human skin samples, advanced imaging technology such as confocal microscopy and whole mouse in vivo imaging, gene and protein expression analyses and whole genome approaches to address her research questions. Her research will open up exciting new avenues for translational research and the development of treatments for human regenerative skin disease such as skin cancer and eczema.

References: Akladios B., Mendoza-Reinoso V., Samuel MS., Hardeman E., Khosrotehrani K., Key B; Beverdam A (2016). ‘Epidermal YAP2-5SA-ΔC Drives β-Catenin Activation to Promote Keratinocyte Proliferation in the Mouse Skin in vivo’ [3].

Liang H*, Akladios B*, Canales CP*, Francis R, Hardeman EH, Beverdam A. (2016) CUBIC protocol visualizes protein expression at single cell resolution in whole mount skin preparations (2016). JoVE [4].

Corley SM, Canales C, Carmona-Mora P, Mendoza-Reinoso V, Beverdam A, Hardeman EH, Wilkins M, Palmer S. (2016). RNA-Seq analysis of Gtf2ird1 knockout epidermal tissue provides potential insights into molecular mechanisms underpinning Williams-Beuren syndrome. BMC Genomics [5].

Beverdam A., Claxton C., Zhang., X., James G., Harvey KF, Key B. (2013). YAP controls stem/progenitor cell proliferation in the mouse postnatal epidermis. Journal of Investigative Dermatology [6]