Costagliola Lab

The main research focus of our team is the molecular dissection of the signaling mechanisms that control morphogenetic processes and gene networks involved in Thyroid Organogenesis. To date, the signaling mechanisms that control the specification of endoderm-derived organs such as the thyroid, lung, liver or pancreas remain poorly understood. To tackle the question "how different cell types are specified from the gut endoderm?", we use the thyroid as experimental model.Thyroid organogenesis can be grossly divided into 3 phases comprising (a) thyroid precursor cell specification, (b) budding and migration of the thyroid primordium, and (c) functional differentiation of thyroid follicular cells. While some factors critical for migration, differentiation and growth of the thyroid primordium have been identified in mouse knock-out models, little is known about the molecular events involved in thyroid precursors cell specification. A crucial aspect of our working strategy is the combination of various experimental models including mouse, Zébrafish and stem cells to delineate the molecular basis of thyroid morphogenesis.