Coordinating cell shape, fate and position in epithelial barrier tissues

How cell shape and mechanics controls tissue turnover and function is still poorly understood. In the squamous stratifying epithelium of the skin, the epidermis, stereotypic changes in cell shape guide the differentiation and upward migration of cells. Using mostly the epidermis as a model system, my laboratory asks how cell shape, fate and position are coordinated, and how the integration of adhesion and cytoskeletal mechanics and signalling regulate the formation and renewal of intratissue compartments within the epidermis in health and disease.