The Millard Lab
Epithelial repair of fly embryos
Epithelia are sheets of cells that act as barriers, protecting our tissues from infection. If an epithelium is damaged, as occurs during wounding, it is vitally important that it is rapidly repaired to restore the barrier. The repair process involves bringing together, and then fusing, the epithelia surrounding the wound site. We are investigating the mechanisms involved in fusing epithelia using the fruit fly Drosophila as a model. Drosophila is ideal for these studies as we can image epithelial fusion happening in live embryos with high resolution, greatly aiding our understanding of the process.
We can also readily identify genes required for epithelial fusion and analyse how the process occurs at the molecular level.
Latest Publications
Stramer B, Moreira S, Millard T, Evans I, Sabet O, Milner M, Dunn G, Martin P, Wood W. (2010). Clasp mediated microtubule bundling regulates contact repulsion in Drosophila macrophages in vivo. Journal of Cell Biology, 189(4), 681-689.
Zanet J, Stramer B, Millard T, Martin P, Payre F, Plaza S. (2009). Fascin is required for blood cell migration during Drosophila embryogenesis. Development, 136(15), 2557-2565.
Stramer B, Winfield M, Shaw T, Millard TH, Woolner S, Martin P. (2008). Gene induction following wounding of wild-type versus macrophage-deficient Drosophila embryos. EMBO reports, 9(5), 465-71.
Millard TH, Martin P (2008) Dynamic analysis of filopodial interactions during the zippering phase of Drosophila dorsal closure. Development 135(4): 621-626.
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