Prof. Bruce Edgar Cell growth and proliferation

The precise control of cell proliferation is essential for development in growing animals and plants, and for tissue homeostasis in adults. Loss of this control is a pre-requisite for carcinogenesis. Our research focusses on the mechanisms that control cell cycle progression and cell growth in the Drosophila model system. We use diverse molecular, genetic, and cytological approaches to discover, and then characterize, genes and pathways that regulate the growth and proliferation of cells in vivo, in several different organs and tissue types in the fly. Ongoing projects address the control of cell cycle exit at differentiation, the mechanism of growth-dependent endoreplication cell cycles, nutrient-dependent cell growth via the TOR signaling pathway, and the regulation of homeostatic growth in the gut by intestinal stem cells.

Detailed information on the project can be found at
http://www.zmbh.uni-heidelberg.de/Edgar/default.shtml