Research projects

The ureters are a pair of straight tubes that enable the efficient removal of urine from the renal pelvis to the bladder through peristaltic contractions. Functional insufficiencies of their tissue compartments and physical obstacles on the way to the bladder lead to urinary reflux, dilation of the ureter (hydroureter) and the renal pelvis (hydronephrosis). Congenital forms of these defects are frequently observed in newborns, which is an important task for understanding normal and abnormal ureteral development.

Our current work aims to decipher the molecular networks that control the development, homeostasis and regeneration of the mesenchymal and epithelial tissue compartments of the mouse ureter. We aim to explore how different signaling pathways (such as Notch, Wnt, Fgf, Bmp and Shh) interact with transcriptional regulators (including T-box transcription factors) to achieve precise patterning and differentiation of fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells in the outer mesenchymal envelope, as well as basal, intermediate and superficial cells in the highly specialized inner epithelial lining, the urothelium. We use a combination of genetic and pharmacological manipulations to explore the molecular, cellular and physiological consequences of loss and gain of gene function.

Overall, this work could help to establish a paradigm for the molecular complexity that determines the development of a simple tubular organ. It could provide crucial insights into the etiology and possible molecular causes of congenital abnormalities of the urinary tract and enable the development of strategies for organ repair by tissue augmentation in vivo and tissue engineering in vitro.

Ongoing projects "Ureter":

Molecular function of Tbx18 in ureter development

Funding: DFG

Functional analysis of Wnt signaling in the development of the ureteric mesenchyme

Funding: DFG

Molecular control of smooth muscle cell differentiation in the developing murine ureter

Funding: DFG

Molecular function of the T-box transcription factors TBX2 and TBX3 in the development and maintenance of the epithelial lining of the urinary tract in the mouse

Funding: DFG

Molecular control of early urothelial differentiation in the murine ureter

Funding: DFG

Other projects:

Function of the T-box transcription factors Tbx2 and Tbx3 in the development of the murine inner ear

Previous funding: DFG

Regulation and molecular function of the T-box transcription factors Tbx2 and Tbx3 in the development of the murine lung

Previous funding: DFG