Sally Lowell
Address
- Street
-
Centre for Regenerative Medicine
Institute for Regeneration and Repair
The University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh BioQuarter
5 Little France Drive - City
- Edinburgh
- Post code
- EH16 4UU
Background
- PhD with Fiona Watt at CRUK
- Postdoc with David Anderson at Caltech
- Postdoc with Austin Smith at the University of Edinburgh
- Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellow at the University of Edinburgh
- Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow at the University of Edinburgh
Current PhD students supervised
Darren Wisniewski
Matthew French
Past PhD students supervised
Mattias Malaguti
Rosa Portero Migueles
Paul Nistor
Amy Pegg
Karolina Punovuori
Chandrika Rao
Research summary
Pluripotent stem cell differentiation
The aim of my research is to understand the lineage decisions of pluripotent cells. I am interested in how local communication between individual cells influences these decisions. We are also trying to understand how changes in adhesion and tissue morphology modulate differentiation during early development.
Aims and areas of interest
We aim to understand how cells steer a path from pluripotency towards lineage commitment, and in particular to understand why differentiation response can be variable between individual cells.We have identified transcription factors that control the first steps towards differentiation, and which can be exploited as markers of early primed or committed states. We are also investigating how events outside the nucleus, particularly cell adhesion and tissue morphology, may influence the way that pluripotent cells receive and interpret differentiation cues. Our lab are developing quantitative imaging tools for monitoring changes in tissue morphology and cellular organisation in order to ask how these relate to differentiation competence. By uncovering the interplay between transcription, signalling, and morphogenesis, our ultimate aim is to discover the hidden rules behind the apparent unpredictability of the differentiation response.
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You should always keep in touch with your friends: Community effects in biology
In:
Nature reviews Molecular cell biology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-020-00290-1
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
The transcription factor E2A drives neural differentiation in pluripotent cells
In:
Development, vol. 147
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.184093
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Single-cell lineage tracing unveils a role for Tcf15 in haematopoiesis
In:
Nature
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Accepted/In press) -
Biotic analogies for self-organising cities
In:
Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2399808319882730
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
N-cadherin stabilises neural identity by dampening anti-neural signals
In:
Development
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.183269
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Nessys: A new set of tools for the automated detection of nuclei within intact tissues and dense 3D cultures
In:
PLoS Biology, vol. 17
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000388
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Id1 stabilises epiblast identity by sensing delays in Nodal activation and adjusting the timing of differentiation
In:
Developmental Cell
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2019.05.032
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Mapping the Emergent Spatial Organization of Mammalian Cells using Micropatterns and Quantitative Imaging
(14 pages)
In:
Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3791/59634
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
The PLOS Biology xv collection: 15 years of exceptional science highlighted across 12 months
In:
PLoS Biology, vol. 17
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000180
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Agent-based modelling of Pattern Formation in Pluripotent Stem Cells: Initial Experiments and Results
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/CISP-BMEI.2018.8633048
Research output: Contribution to Conference › Conference contribution (Published) -
Geometrical confinement controls the asymmetric patterning of brachyury in cultures of pluripotent cells
(16 pages)
In:
Development, vol. 145
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.166025
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
BMP and FGF signaling interact to pattern mesoderm by controlling basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor activity
(27 pages)
In:
eLIFE, vol. 7
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.31018
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Polarity Reversal by Centrosome Repositioning Primes Cell Scattering during Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
(17 pages)
In:
Developmental Cell, vol. 40, pp. 168-184
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2016.12.004
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Evidence for evolutionary divergence of activity-dependent gene expression in developing neurons
(21 pages)
In:
eLIFE, vol. 5
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.20337
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Atoh1 in sensory hair cell development: constraints and cofactors
In:
Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.10.003
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Gro/TLE enables embryonic stem cell differentiation by repressing pluripotent gene expression
(11 pages)
In:
Developmental Biology, vol. 397, pp. 56-66
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2014.10.007
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Endogenous notch-driven tumorigenesis functions via notch3 to promote PI3k/AKT mediated cell survival in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma
(1 page)
In:
British Journal of Surgery, vol. 101, pp. 47-47
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Meeting abstract (Published) -
Distinct Wnt-driven primitive streak-like populations reflect in vivo lineage precursors
In:
Development, vol. 141, pp. 1209-1221
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.101014
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Bone Morphogenic Protein signalling suppresses differentiation of pluripotent cells by maintaining expression of E-Cadherin
(20 pages)
In:
eLIFE, vol. 2
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01197
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Haematopoietic differentiation is inhibited when Notch activity is enhanced in FLK1+ mesoderm progenitors
(15 pages)
In:
Stem cell research, vol. 11, pp. 1273-1287
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scr.2013.08.012
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)