Stathopoulos Lab
Principal Investigator: Angelike Stathopoulos
Institution: California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, CA)
Primary Subfield: Molecular & Cell Bio
Recruitment Status: Inquire for rotation/fellowship opportunities
Research Focus
SUMMARY Fibroblast growth factor proteins (FGFs) are ligands for FGF receptors (FGFRs), regulating cell adhesion, motility, proliferation, and survival. FGFs share a core homology domain of approximately 120 amino acids and have a globular β-trefoil structure, which enables them to interact with receptors on neighboring cells and mediate cell non-autonomous responses. Activation of FGFRs initiates the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) pathway, leading to the regulation of gene expression. The overarching goal of this proposal is to investigate a noncanonical activity of the Drosophila FGF Pyramus (Pyr), a Type I protein with an extracellular FGF-homologous portion, transmembrane domain (TMD), and an extended intracellular domain. Cleavage near the TMD releases the FGF domain extracellularly and a fragment of unknown function (PyrIntra) inside cells, suggesting that Pyr signals bidirectionally: forward through the extracellular domain and reverse through the intracellular domain. While bidirectional signaling is documented in other pathways like Notch/Delta and ephrin/Eph, it has not been documented for FGF/FGFRs. The early Drosophila embryo provides a simpler model to study F…
Active NIH Awards
- 1R01HL180704-01A1: Bidirectional signaling by FGF proteins (2026)
- 5R01HD106799-05: Regulation of long distance enhancer-promoter interactions by promoter-proximal elements (2026)
- 5R35GM118146-10: Temporal control of cell patterning, signaling, and movement in early embryos (2025)
- 5R01HD106799-04: Regulation of long distance enhancer-promoter interactions by promoter-proximal elements (2025)
- 5R35GM118146-09: Temporal control of cell patterning, signaling, and movement in early embryos (2024)
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