Institute for Human Genetics at UCSF

Dr. Selleri studies the genetic basis of how elaborately patterned tissues form during development. Her laboratory combines different genetic approaches, using the mouse as a model, to understand basic developmental processes related to cranial and appendicular morphogenesis. The laboratory discovered that homeodomain-containing transcription factors of the Pbx family, also known as Hox-cofactors, are critical developmental regulators through the transcriptional control of target genes within tissue-specific regulatory networks.Using genetically-engineered and ethylnitrosourea (ENU)-mutagenized mouse models the ultimate goal of the laboratory is to identify novel genes and regulatory networks underlying morphogenesis of embryonic structures, morphological variation, evolution, and human congenital disease.