Research Projects

Potency and plasticity of stem cells

Our previous work has shown that tapeworm stem cells are collectively pluripotent. Do tapeworms maintain a specific pluripotent subpopulation of stem cells? Or do even lineage-committed stem cells have the propensity to acquire/revert to pluripotency? We aim to characterize the transcriptional signatures of stem cell subpopulations using single cell-sequencing and determine their potency and plasticity. This project will either uncover the identity of pluripotent tapeworm stem cells or reveal that all/multiple stem cell populations are capable of pluripotent behaviors once they receive the appropriate niche signals

Microenvironmental signals that regulate regeneration

We have found that regeneration is limited to the neck (germinative region) of the tapeworm. Though the neck is necessary and sufficient for regeneration of segments (proglottids), regeneration is finite without signals from the head. This project seeks to uncover the extrinsic signals that regulate regeneration and stem cell behavior. How do stem cell-extrinsic signals in the neck influence regeneration? What is the identity of the stem cell niche? Does regeneration depend on signals from the nervous system? How do these signals respond to the presence/absence of the head?

Germ cells and Reproductive development

Because of the linear growth of adult tapeworms, a single tapeworm is a time-course experiment. Each proglottid is in a progressive state of reproductive maturation as male and female reproductive organs become elaborated. We aim to take advantage of this property to elucidate the genetic regulation of reproductive development. We will use this knowledge to probe the segregation of germ cell and somatic fates in the context of regeneration