Dr Henrietta J. Standley
Lecturer
- standleyhj@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 (0)29 2087 6735
- Fax:
- +44 (0)29 2087 4116
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, Adeilad Syr Martin Evans, Rhodfa'r Amgueddfa, Caerdydd, CF10 3AX
Trosolwg
My research interests in developmental biology include the community effect signalling interaction and the mechanism by which the dorsoventral axis is established in the Xenopus embryo.Research overview
Research division
Cyhoeddiadau
2016
- Moxham, B.et al. 2016. The attitudes of medical students in Europe towards the clinical importance of embryology. Clinical Anatomy 29(2), pp. 144-150. (10.1002/ca.22667)
- Rutherford, S. and Standley, H. 2016. Social space or pedagogic powerhouse: do digital natives appreciate the potential of web 2.0 technologies for learning?. In: Pinheiro, M. M. and Sim, D. eds. Handbook of Research on Engaging Digital Natives in Higher Education Settings. IGI Global, pp. 72-97.
- Standley, H. 2016. Perceptions of critical thinking: a pilot investigation into the attitudes of home and international students. In: Kirk, S. et al. eds. Internationalising the Curriculum: Internationalisation at Home and Engaging Academic Staff. Nottingham: Nottingham Trent University, pp. 23-41.
2015
- Standley, H. 2015. International mobility placements enable students and staff in Higher Education to enhance transversal and employability-related skills: Graphical Abstract Figure.. FEMS Microbiology Letters 362(19) (10.1093/femsle/fnv157)
2006
- Standley, H.et al. 2006. Maternal XTcf1 and XTcf4 have distinct roles in regulating Wnt target genes. Developmental Biology Vol 28(2), pp. 318-328. (10.1016/j.ydbio.2005.10.012)
2004
- Standley, H. and John, G. 2004. The community effect in Xenopus development. In: Horst, G. ed. The Vertebrate Organizer. Springer, pp. 73-91.
- Kofron, M.et al. 2004. New roles for FoxH1 in patterning the early embryo. Development 131(20), pp. 5065-5078. (10.1242/dev.01396)
2002
- Standley, H. and Gurdon, J. B. 2002. Uncommitted Xenopus blastula cells can be directed to uniform muscle gene expression by gradient interpretation and a community effect. International Journal of Developmental Biology Vol 46(8), pp. 993-998.
- Belenkaya, T. Y.et al. 2002. Pygopus encodes a nuclear protein essential for Wingless/Wnt signalling. Development 129(17), pp. 4089-4101.
- Standley, H., Zorn, A. M. and Gurdon, J. B. 2002. A dynamic requirement for community interactions during Xenopus myogenesis. International Journal of Developmental Biology 46, pp. 279-283.
2001
- Standley, H., Zorn, A. M. and Gurdon, J. B. 2001. eFGF and its mode of action in the community effect during Xenopus myogenesis. Development Vol 12(8), pp. 1347-1357.
1999
- Gurdon, J. B.et al. 1999. Single cells can sense their position in a morphogen gradient. Development 126(23), pp. 5309-5317.
Projects
Mechanisms of cell commitment in Xenopus laevis
I am particularly interested in understanding the mechanisms by which a combination of inherited factors and intercellular signals cause a cell to become committed to a particular fate. I have focused on the community effect and axis formation in development of Xenopus laevis embryos, which are especially amenable to micromanipulation.
The community effect describes a signalling interaction within group of cells that is essential for them to be able to differentiate. One such interaction takes place within the group of muscle precursor cells found in the dorsolateral mesoderm of the early gastrula embryo. During my Ph.D. with Prof. Sir John Gurdon at the University of Cambridge I used a candidate approach to identify the community factor responsible for mediating this interaction. I determined that eFGF behaves as the endogenous myogenic community factor. More recently I have used single cell transplantations to investigate when cells of the vegetal hemisphere become determined to contribute to the endoderm germ layer, where they will give rise to the intestines and associated organs.
The dorsoventral axis of the developing Xenopus embryo is established by activation of the Wnt/ beta-catenin pathway. The components of this pathway are synthesised maternally and are present in the Xenopus oocyte before fertilisation. While in Prof. Janet Heasman's laboratory at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Research Foundation, I used antisense methods to deplete oocytes of maternal mRNAs encoding various members of the Wnt pathway. I then analysed the phenotypes of embryos developing from these depleted oocytes to determine the contribution of each factor to normal development. I found that the beta-catenin interacting proteins XTcf1, XTcf4, and pygopus have distinct and required roles in establishing the dorsoventral axis.