Gregory Barsh
Stanford University, CA·Genetics
Coat colors and patterns are more than decoration: the genes that control them often turn out to control signaling pathways used elsewhere in the body. In mice and humans, however, the catalog of known pigmentation mutations is largely complete, so new discoveries must come from elsewhere.
- Fields
Genetics
Biology
Ecology & Evolution
- Topics
pigmentation
coat color
color pattern
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jun 2028
What they work on
- Identify additional components of the Taqpep pathway, which links a membrane protease to Wnt-inhibitor signaling, by forward genetics in Bengal cats and analysis of fetal cat skin where patterns first form.
- Expand genetic studies of color pattern variation in plains zebras, including the isolated Rwandan population in which Taqpep is a candidate gene for aberrant striping.
- Determine the molecular mechanism of Taqpep action using knockout mice, proteomics to find interacting and cleaved partner proteins, and cultured mammalian cells.
- Characterize how loss of Taqpep affects multiple tissues in mice, including hair, the enteric nervous system of the gut, and the palate.
More about the research
Cheap genome sequencing now makes it possible to do gene discovery in domestic and wild animals, where many striking color patterns have unknown molecular causes but likely reflect conserved pathways relevant to human biology.
Why it matters
Taqpep/Laeverin affects tissues with direct human relevance, including the placenta, hair, palate and gut nervous system, so working out its pathway could inform understanding of developmental conditions involving these tissues. The approach also shows how color variation in non-model animals, from domestic cats to wild zebras, can be used to find genes and signaling pathways that conventional mouse and human genetics have missed.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Ricardo Mallarino
Princeton University, NJ·Biology
Determine how the signaling center of the sugar glider's gliding membrane (patagium) is established and how the gene Wnt5a controls membrane outgrowth, using spatial transcriptomics and in vivo transgenics.
James Lewis
Clemson University, SC·Ecology & Evolution·Early-career
Identify the genetic architecture and molecular mechanisms behind a polygenic, male-specific wing color and pattern mimicry trait in a model butterfly, using functional and quantitative genomics.
Julia Ganz
Michigan State University, MI·Neuroscience·Early-career
Determine the molecular mechanisms that drive region-specific production of enteric neurons, comparing how nerve cells arise in different subdivisions of the gut such as the stomach versus the intestine.
The school
Stanford University: 87 labs on PI Pages, $1.6B a year on research, 739 research doctorates a year.
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