Multicellular Signaling Dynamics
The Multicellular Signaling Dynamics research group, led by Dr. Lena Tveriakhina, investigates the dynamic properties of cell signaling pathways and how they control various cell fate decisions during the development and maintenance of multicellular organisms.
Cells constantly communicate with each other and with their surroundings through complex networks called signaling pathways. These pathways help cells decide what to become, how to behave, and when to divide, repair, or die. They also play a key role in controlling metabolism and coordinating immune responses. Because these processes are so crucial, signaling must be carefully controlled in both space and time. When something goes wrong, it can lead to inherited, metabolic, or autoimmune diseases — and to cancer.
Our research focuses on one such important and evolutionarily conserved communication system — the Notch signaling pathway. This pathway is activated when ligands on one cell bind to Notch receptors on a neighboring cell. This contact triggers a chain of reactions that releases an active form of the Notch protein (NICD). Once released, NICD travels to the cell’s nucleus, where it directly activates gene expression. This allows the cell to quickly and precisely respond to local signals. Depending on the biological context, Notch signaling can tell a cell to divide, specialize, migrate, or even die.
We aim to understand how Notch signaling dictates these diverse and complex cell fate decisions. To do this, we study how the pathway behaves in single cells and human iPSC-derived organoid models. Using a combination of advanced imaging, gene editing, and molecular biology techniques, we track Notch activity from the cell surface to the nucleus. By linking these events in time and space, we hope to uncover the rules that make this pathway both precise and adaptable.
Our work combines advanced approaches from different fields — including live-cell microscopy, electron microscopy, proteomics, lipidomics, and transcriptomics — to build a picture of how Notch signaling works at the molecular and cellular level. Ultimately, this knowledge will help us better understand how cells make decisions and what happens when cell communication systems break down in disease.
Circular images: © RG Multicellular Signaling Dynamics
