Eran Andrechek
Michigan State University, MI·Genetics
The mammary gland develops in stages. It grows through puberty and pregnancy, produces milk during lactation, and then returns to a resting state in a process called involution.
- Fields
Genetics
Biology
Physiology
- Topics
mammary gland development
E2F transcription factors
transcriptional repression
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Mar 2027
What they work on
- Characterize mammary gland defects in mice lacking E2F5 only in mammary epithelial cells, including duct extension during puberty, alveolar development and involution.
- Identify genes directly controlled by the repressor E2F5 by combining ChIP-seq maps of its DNA binding with gene expression changes after E2F5 induction, and prioritize targets using mammary development datasets.
- Use single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of virgin mammary glands lacking E2F3 or E2F5 to determine which cell populations and gene programs depend on these transcription factors.
More about the research
Each stage depends on genes being switched on and off at the right time and place. This control is essential for lactation, and understanding normal mammary biology also informs studies of how it goes wrong in breast cancer. E2F transcription factors are proteins that bind DNA to control gene activity. They are best known for driving cell division, but recent work shows they do much more. The 'activator' E2Fs (E2F1–3a) are well studied in the mammary gland. Much less is known about the 'repressor' E2Fs, E2F4 and E2F5, partly because mice lacking them develop hydrocephaly and die early.
Why it matters
Proper mammary gland development is essential for lactation and for nourishing offspring. Defining how the repressor E2F transcription factors control this development adds basic understanding of how genes guide tissue growth. Because understanding normal mammary biology informs how it goes awry, this knowledge could eventually inform studies of breast cancer.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Ryan Driskell
Washington State University, WA·Biology
Test whether Lef1, a Wnt-pathway transcription factor, is the master regulator of newborn papillary fibroblast function by switching it on in adult mouse skin fibroblasts and using wounding and chamber grafting assays to see if scarring gives way to regeneration.
Bani Mallick
Texas A&M University-College Station, TX·Mathematics & Statistics
Develop flexible Bayesian spatial clustering methods for single-cell spatial transcriptomics data to find how circadian rhythm disruption changes the mix of cell types in mammary tissue.
Shervin Assassi
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX·Medicine & Clinical Research
Determine how much removing Irf7 specifically from fibroblasts reduces skin fibrosis, in bleomycin-induced and Tsk1 mouse models of dermal fibrosis.
The school
Michigan State University: 28 labs on PI Pages, $932M a year on research, 555 research doctorates a year.
Reach out
A start for your email. Fill in the brackets.