Welcome to the Misra Lab

Left: Schematic of Hippo signaling pathway. Right: Overgrowth of Hippo mutant clones in Drosophila and Mst1/2 mutant mouse liver.

Proper size and shape is required for optimal functioning of organs. In multicellular organisms, different tissues develop to a characteristic final size and shape, and maintain an optimal proportion to the body. Misregulation of growth and morphogenesis during development results in structural birth defects that last into adulthood and often lead to organ malfunction. Thus precise coordination of growth and morphogenesis is a fundamental aspect of development that is essential for normal organ function and body organization. The evolutionarily conserved Hippo signaling pathway plays a central role in organ size control and is associated with many cancers. The protocadherins, Dachsous (Ds) and Fat are conserved upstream regulators of Hippo signaling that play a key role in coordinating growth and morphogenesis. Ds and Fat restrict growth by activating Hippo signaling and influence morphogenesis by regulating planar cell polarity and oriented cell divisions. Consistently, mutations affecting this pathway result in a number of diseases affecting organ shape or size, such as Hennekam syndrome and Van Maldergem syndrome. However, the molecular mechanisms by which Fat signaling regulates growth and morphogenesis are not well understood. I have identified Vamana and Early girl, two novel regulators of this signaling pathway. Additionally, my work has led to intriguing findings that suggest that vesicular trafficking plays a crucial role in regulating this pathway, an aspect that is very little explored. Our lab employs an  interdisciplinary approach using Drosophila genetics, cell biology and biochemistry to study the vesicular trafficking mechanisms that organize this signaling pathway and  to identify novel regulators of this pathway.