Gene network controlling cardiac progenitors   The heart is one of the first organs formed during embryonic development and is composed of different regions (ventricles, atria, and outflow tract) and different cell types including contractile cardiomyocytes, vascular cells, and smooth muscle cells. During embryonic development, the different heart regions and cardiovascular lineages arise from the…

Skin stem cells during development, homeostasis and repair   The skin epidermis is a stratified epithelium composed of the interfollicular epidermis, which constitutes the skin barrier, and different appendages such as the hair follicles with their associated sebaceous glands and the sweat glands. The interfollicular epidermis is composed of one single inner layer of proliferative…

Stem cells of the mammary gland and the prostate   The mammary glands are essential during early postnatal life by providing to young mammalian offspring nutrients, water and electrolytes, and immune defense until they can survive independently. The mammary glands are epidermal appendages that progressively sprout and branch to invade the underlying mesenchyme. At puberty,…

Stem cells and the cancer cell of origin   For the vast majority of cancers, the cancer cell of origin is still unknown. Our lab has been pioneered in using mouse genetics to identify the cancer cell of origin in the most frequent cancers in human. We used lineage tracing to uncover the cellular origin…

Mechanisms regulating tumor heterogeneity   The importance of tumor heterogeneity and its potential impact for personalized medicine is widely recognized. Different mechanisms including genetic and non-genetic factors such as the existence of different populations of tumor cells including cancer stem cells to regulate tumor heterogeneity. We have assessed the importance of genetic determinants of tumor…