Shuo Wei

Biological Sciences

Shuo Wei

Associate Professor

swei@udel.edu

302-831-1146

Office: 235 Wolf Hall
Lab: 259 Wolf Hall

Resources and Links

Shuo Wei's Google Scholar Publications

Education

B.S. in Biology, University of Science and Technology of China
Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Miami
Postdoc in Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Virginia

Teaching

BISC401/609 - Molecular Biology of the Cell (Fall)
BISC467/667 - Current Topics in Development and Cancer (Spring)

Research Interests

The Wei lab is interested in the regulation of cell signaling and tissue homeostasis by metalloproteinases and other proteins in development and disease.

Current Projects

Project 1. The mechanisms of neural crest development and related birth defects. The neural crest cells are multipotent stem cells that give rise to craniofacial structures, cardiac tissues, pigment cells, the peripheral nervous system, and many other derivatives. Aberrant neural crest development can lead to some of the most common birth defects in humans, such as craniofacial disorders and congenital heart diseases. Using the Western clawed frog Xenopus tropicalis as a model, we are investigating the roles of several genes and signaling pathways, including the AKT and canonical Wnt pathways, in inducing neural crest formation under normal and pathological conditions. In particular, we are interested in modeling human neural crest birth defects caused by genetic mutations.

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Project 2. Function and regulation of canonical Wnt signaling. The canonical Wnt pathway plays important roles in development and disease, including neural crest induction, carcinogenesis and tumor progression. Both the inputs and outputs of Wnt signaling are regulated by many genes through various mechanisms, and perturbation of any of these regulatory mechanisms may lead to diseases. A major focus of our research is on identifying novel upstream regulators and downstream effectors of Wnt signaling and understanding their functions in normal and pathological processes.

Project 3. The biochemistry and cell biology of extracellular metalloproteinases. Extracellular metalloproteinases, such as disintegrin metalloproteinases (ADAMs) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), are key regulators of cell signaling and tissue homeostasis. Abnormal ADAM/MMP activities are often associated with pathological processes such as tumor progression, cartilage degradation (as in arthritis), and neurodegenerative diseases. We are interested in understanding how the expression, maturation and activities of these metalloproteinases are controlled, as well as identifying novel ADAM/MMP substrates using both candidate and nonbiased (proteomics) approaches. Finally, we are also collaborating with other labs at UD to identify new synthetic and natural ADAM/MMP inhibitors for potential therapeutic purposes.

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