B.S., Louisiana State University, 1987
Ph.D., University of Chicago, 1994
Postdoc, Harvard Medical School, 1998

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
How cells migrate and move relative to one another remains one of the great mysteries in cell and developmental biology. Recent advances in imaging technology has made the study of cell migrations tractable using genetic approaches. Cell migrations are crucial during normal development and in adult physiological processes for ensuring that the proper number of specific cells types are allocated to the proper destination where they are needed. Additionally, it is critical that cells not migrate inappropriately, as this can lead to cells functioning and reproducing in places where they do not belong, which can be deleterious for the organism.

We address these issues using a simple model system, the Drosophila egg chamber. Egg chambers are very amendable for this analysis because they are an abundant source of material and the cells are very large, thus making the tracking of migrating cells relatively simple, without the need for cell-type specific markers. We aim to combine this elegant cell biological system with the strength of Drosophila genetics and molecular genetics to uncover the mechanisms by which conserved human tumor suppressor genes regulate tumor cell migrations and invasions in vivo, in a developmental context.

Our goal is to establish the similarities and differences in how tumor cells invade to how normal cells migrate. In this way we will uncover the critical developmental decisions that must be orchestrated in a highly regulated manner but which can be bypassed in tumor cells. Our work may thus provide important clues for the development of selective therapeutic agents that inhibit tumor but not normal cell movement.

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SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
1. Wei J, Szafranski P, Anderson M, Goode S. Feedback loops between epithelial junctions and hormone-dependent transcriptional coactivator taiman mediate cell invasion in Drosophila, submitted.

2. Zhao M, Kishore S, Wei J, Goode S. Enhancers of Dlg tumor invasion, submitted.

3. Goode S, Kishore S, Wei J (2005). Novel spatiotemporal patterns of epithelial tumor invasion in Drosophila discs large egg chambers. Dev. Dyn. 232: 855-864.

4. Szafranski P, Goode S (2004). A Fasciclin 2 morphogenetic switch organizes epithelial cell cluster polarity and motility. Development 131: 2023-2036.

5. Wei J, Hortsch M, Goode S (2004). Neuroglian stabilizes epithelial structure during Drosophila oogenesis. Dev. Dyn. 230: 800-808.

6. Szafranski P, Goode S (2003). A Fasciclin II morphogenetic switch collaborates with neoplastic tumor suppressors to polarize epithelial cluster inhibit movement. Development 131: 2023-2036.

7. Huang J, Rajkovic A, Szafranski P, Ochsner S, Orsulic S, Richards S, Goode S (2002). Expression of Drosophila neoplastic tumor suppressor genes discslarge, scribble, and lethal giant larvae in the mammalian ovary. Gene Expr. Pat. 3: 3-11.

8. Goode S (2000). Germ cell cytonemes? Trends Cell Biol. 10: 89-90.

9. Goode S, Perrimon N (1997). Brainiac and Fringe are similar pioneer proteins that impart specificity to Notch signaling during Drosophila development. Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 62: 177-184.

For more publications, see listing on Pub Med.

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Telephone: 713-798-8828
Fax: 713-798-1228
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Last modified: 5/2007