Phone: (205) 934-0842
E-mail: rserra@uab.edu

Research/Clinical Interest Description: The overall goal of the laboratory is to understand the role and mechanism of TGF-ß signaling in embryonic and post-natal development and to apply this knowledge to the understanding and treatment of human degenerative and neoplastic disease. We are using several molecular and genetic tools to address these issues, including transgenic mice, mouse organ cultures, primary cell cultures, adenovirus expression systems, as well as subtractive libraries and gene arrays. One of our objectives is to investigate the role of TGF-ß signaling in stromal epithelial interactions during normal mammary gland development and tumor progression. The overall hypothesis of this study is that TGF-ß signaling in the mammary stroma affects branching morphogenesis and tumor development by regulating the expression of specific genes in mammary gland fibroblasts. We are also using an embryonic mouse metatarsal organ culture model and a cre/lox transgenic mouse strategy to study the molecular pathways that regulate endochondral bone formation. These models facilitate determination of how different growth factors and cell types interact to regulate chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation.