Project Description

Cell proliferation is tightly controlled by inhibitors that block cell cycle progression until growth signals relieve this inhibition, allowing cells to divide. At the molecular level, it is largely unknown how cells regulate the switch from a proliferative to a specialized state; yet this is critical question to answer. Because preventing progenitors from over-proliferating and taking over the tissue,  can prevent the disease such as cancer. We found a new mechanism of cell division control in the postnatal liver, in which Wnt/βcatenin signaling maintains active hepatocyte cell division through Tbx3, a Wnt target gene. TBX3 directly represses transcription of E2f7 and E2f8, thereby promoting mitosis. This cascade of sequential transcriptional repressors, initiated by Wnt signals, provides a new paradigm for exploring how commonly active developmental signals impact cell cycle completion.