Asymmetric Cell Division of Neural Stem Cells in Development and Tumorigenesis

Our research line has been focused during these past years in the study of PDZ (PSD-95, Dlg, ZO-1) domain-containing proteins, as we consider that they are excellent candidates as hubs of cross-talk between signaling cascades during development. In addition, malfunction of many PDZ proteins has been linked to diverse neuropathologies and types of cancer. Specifically, over these past years, the main aim of our research has been to analyze the function of the PDZ cytoplasmic protein Canoe/AF-6, as a signal integrator within signaling networks during the acquisition of unique cell fates throughout nervous system development. For this purpose, we have been focused on the analysis of two biological processes key for neural identity generation: 1) Asymmetric cell division and 2) Neural differentiation, particularly: 2.1) neuron-glia interactions and 2.2) axon pathfinding. Currently, the analysis of asymmetric cell division in development and tumorigenesis constitutes our main research line.