Jeff Bush

@xsciteng.bsky.social et al. of the @jeffbush.bsky.social lab @ctbatucsf.bsky.social reveal cellular mechanisms of tissue fusion in the developing face. They demonstrate that actomyosin-generated forces drive tissue fusion, necessitating an elevated cadherin threshold. rupress.org/jcb/article/...

In collaboration with the Leslie-Clarkson lab, we also identified P-cadherin variants in patients with cleft lip, suggesting that it may be a meaningful in vivo contributor to this common condition, either alone, or together with variants in other adherence junction genes.

We think the reason for this elevated demand for cell adhesion strength is to transduce and withstand high actomyosin tensile forces driving lip fusion.

While epithelial disruption of E-cadherin alone does not result in a cleft, combined reduction of both E-cad and P-cadherin, does, indicating that there is a threshold requirement for cadherin-mediated cell adhesion in this process.

She found that RhoA and Kaiso binding domains are totally dispensable for the in vivo function of p120-catenin, but that its cadherin-binding ability is crucial, supporting the importance of cell adhesion in this process.

We also examined the role of Ctnnd1/p120-catenin, variants in which are amongst the most common in humans with cleft lip. Through gene editing, Camilla made a series of mouse mutants to define the in-vivo molecular functions of p120-catenin.

Both pharmacologically and through mouse genetics, we showed that actomyosin contractility in the epithelium is crucial for this tissue fusion process, and that its disruption results in a cleft-lip phenotype.

Camilla developed a new live imaging system to directly visualize cellular dynamics underlying upper lip fusion in the mouse embryo, which revealed highly dynamic localized enrichment of F-actin at the fusion site.

I'm thrilled to be able to share this new paper from post-doc Camilla Teng @xsciteng.bsky.social and our collaborators in the Leslie-Clarkson lab @emorygenetics.bsky.social on mechanisms of tissue fusion and cleft lip url: rupress.org/jcb/article/...

Myocardial reprogramming by HMGN1 underlies heart defects in trisomy 21 - Nature Studies using human pluripotent stem cells and a mouse model of Down syndrome identify HMGN1 as a key contributor to congenital heart defects in individuals with Down syndrome.

Super interesting study identifying gene responsible for heart defects in Down syndrome www.nature.com/articles/s41...

This is awesome! Looking forward to reading it.

Congratulations Sarah and team! @knoxstar.bsky.social @ucsfdentistry.bsky.social

Nice! Congratulations Jeremy, Roman, Andrei, and everyone!

Nice going Lily and Erica!@drericabiophd.bsky.social @ctbatucsf.bsky.social @ucsfdentistry.bsky.social

Karin Shamardani, DDS/PhD candidate, is working with Jeff Bush @jeffbush.bsky.social to study how Efnb1 and the understudied actin-regulator gene Shrm4 interact to control palatal outgrowth and mesenchymal organization during craniofacial development.

Circular lab logo consisting of a ball of cells labeled with cyan nuclei and red cilia, surrounded by a white circle and the text Choksi Lab and UCSF. The 'o' in Choksi is a schematic of a multiciliated cell.

I'm thrilled to announce that my lab is opening this August in the Department of Cell & Tissue Biology @ UCSF!

We will study airway stem cells and explore how they generate multiciliated cells (my favorite!) to keep pathogens and debris out of the lung. Check out choksilab.org for more!

CTB welcomes new Assistant Professor Semil Choksi @semilc.bsky.social to the department! The Choksi Lab will study how airway stem cells generate multiciliated cells - and how this process goes wrong in respiratory disease. His lab is opening this August. Visit choksilab.org to learn more!

We’re so lucky you will join us Semil! Can’t wait!

Just recruited two more grad students to be appreciated on Bluesky! @jasminegarciia.bsky.social @davidsungtooth.bsky.social @ophirklein.bsky.social

Happy graduate student appreciation week to David Sung and Luke Lucido!…also trying to encourage them to join Bluesky

Congratulations to Camilla Teng, for winning the "Platform presentation SDB prize" for post-docs at the Northwest SDB meeting, which sounds like it was a fantastic meeting! Camilla will be on the faculty job market soon, so look out for her! @socdevbio.bsky.social @ctbatucsf.bsky.social

UCSF’s Fred Chang Is Honored with Election to AAAS Cell biologist Fred Chang, MD, PhD, has been named a fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a highly esteemed lifetime honor within the scientific community.

I'm thrilled to share that CTB faculty Fred Chang has been elected as a AAAS fellow! Congratulations to Fred on this well-deserved honor. @fredchanglab.bsky.social @ctbatucsf.bsky.social

www.ucsf.edu/news/2025/03/429681/ucsfs-fred-chang-honored-election-aaas

Rare genetic disorder treated in womb for the first time The child, who is now almost three years old, shows no signs of the often fatal motor neuron disease.

A two-and-a-half-year-old girl shows no signs of a rare genetic disorder, after becoming the first person to be treated for the motor-neuron condition while in the womb.

https://go.nature.com/41a7Zzj

To my friends and colleagues at UAB, IU, UF, FSU, UL, WashU, OSU, CWRU, etc, etc. Call both your senators and your representative. They listen. Emphasize the direct economic impact of NIH research, and the indirect impacts on pharmaceutical/biotech. Underscore its relevance to national security.

Great new lab opening!…

Vahid Niknezhad joined the Knox lab in 2022 as a postdoctoral scholar, focusing on the development of biomaterials and hydrogels for drug delivery systems and tissue repair technologies. #ucsfNPAW #UCSFpostdocs

Helen, a postdoc in the Hutchins lab @drericabiophd.bsky.social, is interested in how RNA binding proteins and modifications contribute to the dynamic process of neural crest cell development, and is also passionate about laboratory waste reduction and scientific illustration.#ucsfNPAW #UCSFpostdocs

Petria-George Thompson, a postdoc in the Goga lab @andreigoga.bsky.social, is studying mechanisms of CDK2 inhibition as therapeutics for breast cancer and other cancers. #ucsfNPAW #UCSFpostdocs

Introducing the 2024 Postdoc Slam Finalists! Meet the 10 postdocs who will give 3-minute talks at our popular annual research communications competition on Sept. 18. The event will be a lively centerpiece to our National Postdoc Appreciation Wee...

Check her out at UCSF postdoc slam!
postdocs.ucsf.edu/news/introdu...

Camilla Teng in the Bush lab @jeffbushman.bsky.social is working to understand cell behaviors and force generators driving development of the upper lip. This mysterious process has relevance to cleft lip, which is the most common congenital anomaly affecting the face. #ucsfNPAW #UCSFpostdocs