Claire Bahk
Research Mentor(s): Zong-Yuan Liu
Mentor Department: Department of Cell & Developmental Biology
Authors: Claire Bahk, Zong-Yuan Liu
Session: Session 7 (4:00pm – 4: 50pm)
Presentation Type: Poster 30
Abstract
Mammalian gastrulation describes the process in which the formation of a primitive streak drives the development of the three germ layers during early embryonic development, which subsequently initiates the establishment of all the different tissues and organs. Fibroblast growth factors’ (FGFs) role in mammalian gastrulation has yet to be fully understood, yet we identified a relationship between FGFs and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activity. Our investigations primarily involved using 2D human gastruloids, in vitro models of micropatterned human pluripotent stem cells treated with BMP4, due to their simplicity and reproducibility. The 2D human gastruloids underwent immunofluorescence staining, confocal imaging, and quantification for effective analysis. In this project, we investigated if differential expresson of FGF4 ligands regulated the ERK ring-like pattern and PSLC differentiation. The importance of this project’s research lies in the fact that understanding FGF’s role in gastrulation can subsequently improve understanding of the mechanisms involved in early embryonic development, which can address medical knowledge of birth defects, developmental disorders, stem cell therapies, and more.
