Kayla Gross

Our lab focuses on investigating the molecular mechanisms that drive normal breast development and how these processes become disrupted in cancerous tissue. More specifically, we are interested in the role of stem and progenitor cells in both normal and carcinogenic development, especially the molecular drivers of breast epithelial differentiation. Previous work recently established the transcription factor Slug (SNAI2) as a luminal differentiation suppressor. My project seeks to determine the effect of aging on mammary progenitor cells, specifically in regard to the role of Slug as a regulator of breast epithelial differentiation. I am also working to show that this transcription factor may also have a novel function as an RNA binding protein.