Faculty Profile

Fields of Study

Drosophila Development, Signal Transduction and Transcriptional Regulation

Areas of Focus

Development

Research Interest

Using Drosophila genetics and cell culture to explore the mechanism of how the Wnt signal pathway regulates gene expression during development.

About Kenneth Cadigan

During development, cells must make many decisions to ensure the proper specification of cell fate. These decisions are controlled by intercellular communication, with cells influencing their neighbors by secreting signaling molecules which trigger biochemical cascades in receiving cells. My laboratory is focused on understanding the molecular mechanism of signal transduction of a class of secreted glycoproteins called Wnts. These signals are highly conserved throughout the animal kingdom.  Most of our work is on a Drosophila Wnt known as Wingless (Wg). Using a combination of cell culture and genetics, we have been studying how the Wg pathway regulates targets at the transcriptional level.  We have discovered some of the cis-acting elements that mediate activation or repression of target genes.  In addition, we have identified several chromatin remodeling complexes that associate with these targets.  Understanding how these factors interact with transcription factors bound to the cis-acting elements is a major focus of the Cadigan lab.

Dr. Cadigan received his Ph.D. degree from Dartmouth University in 1989 and has been a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Basel, Switzerland and Stanford University.

Selected Publications

Cadigan, K. M. and M. Peifer (2009). "Wnt." In CSHL Monograph on Cell-Cell Adhesion, Nelson WJ & Fuchs E (eds), in press. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Kennell J. A. and Cadigan, K. M. (2009). "APC and β-catenin degradation." In The Adenomatous polyposis coli protein Book, McCartney BA & Nathe I (eds), in press. Austin: Landes Bioscience.

Chang, M. V., Chang, J. L., Gangopadhyay, A., Shearer, A. and Cadigan, K. M. (2008). "Activation of Wingless targets requires bipartite recognition of DNA by TCF." Curr. Biol. 18: 1877-1881 Read Publication.

Cadigan, K. M. (2008). "Wnt-βετα-catenin signaling." Curr. Biol. 18: R943-947.

Liu, Y. I., Chang, M. V., Li, H. E., Barolo, S., Chang, J. L., Blauwkamp, T. A. and Cadigan, K. M. (2008). "The chromatin remodelers ISWI and ACF1 directly repress Wingless transcriptional targets." Dev. Biol. 323: 41-52. Read Publication.

Kennell, J. Gerin, I., MacDougald, O. A. and Cadigan, K. M. (2008). "The microRNA miR-8 is a conserved negative regulator of Wnt signaling." Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 105: 15417-15422. Read Publication.

Chang, J. L., Chang, M. V., Barolo, S. and Cadigan, K. M. (2008). "Regulation of the feedback antagonist naked cuticle by Wingless signaling." Dev. Biol. 321: 446-454. Read Publication.

Blauwkamp, T. A., Chang, M. V. and Cadigan, K. M. (2008). "Novel TCF Binding Sites Specify Transcriptional Repression by Wnt Signaling." EMBO J. 27: 436-446. Read Publication.

Cadigan, K. M. (2008). "Wnt/β-catenin signaling: turning the switch." Dev. Cell 14: 322-323. Read Publication.

Parker, D. S., Ni, Y. Y., Chang, J. L., Li, J. and Cadigan, K. M. (2008). "Wingless signaling induces widespread chromatin remodeling of target loci." Mol. Cell. Biol. 28: 815-828. Read Publication.

Chang, J. L., Lin, H. V., Blauwkamp, T. A. and Cadigan, K. M. (2008). "Spenito and Split ends act reduntantly to promote Wingless signaling." Dev. Biol. 314: 100-111. Read Publication.

Kennell J. A. and Cadigan, K. M. (2008). "APC and β-catenin degradation." In The Adenomatous polyposis coli protein Book. McCartney BA & Nathe I (eds), in press. Austin: Landes Bioscience.

Li, J., Sutter, C., Parker, D.S., Blauwkamp, T., Fang, M and Cadigan, K. M. (2007). "CBP/p300 binding protein is a bimodal regulator of Wnt signaling. ." EMBO Journal 26: 2284-94. Read Publication.

Guan, J., Li, H., Rogulja, A., Axelrod, J. and Cadigan, K. M. (2007). "The Drosophila Casein kinase Ie/d Discs overgrown promotes cell survival via activation of DIAP1 expression. ." Developmental Biology 301: 16-28. Read Publication.

Parker, D. S., Blauwkamp, T, and Cadigan, K. M. (2007) (2007). "Wnt/beta-catenin-mediated transcriptional regulation. ." In Wnt Signaling in Embryonic Development, Sokol S., (ed), Advances in Developmental Biology, Wassarman PM (ed) Vol. 17, pp. 1-61. San Diego: Elsevier.

Feng, Y., Bommer, G. T., Zhai, Y., Akyol, A., Hinoi, T., Winer, I., Lin, H. V., Cadigan, K. M., Cho, K. R. and Fearon, E. R. (2007). "Drosophila split ends Homologue SHARP Functions as a positive regulator of Wnt/b-catenin/TCF signaling in neoplastic transformation. ." Cancer Res. 67:482-491. Read Publication.

Fang, M., Li, J., Blauwkamp, T., Bhambhani, C., Campbell, N. and Cadigan, K. M. (2006). "C-terminal binding protein directly activates and represses Wnt transcriptional targets in Drosophila. ." EMBO Journal 25: 2735-2745. Read Publication.

Cadigan, K. M. and Liu, Y. I. (2006). "Wnt signaling: complexity at the surface. ." Journal of Cell Science 119: 395-402. Read Publication.

Fearon, E. R. and Cadigan, K. M. (2005). "Wnt signaling glows with RNAi." Science 308: 801-803.

Lin, H. V., Rogulja, A. and Cadigan, K. M. (2004). "Wingless signaling eliminates ommatidia from the edge of the developing eye through activation of apoptosis." Development 131: 2409-2418 . Read Publication.

Lin, H. V., Doroquez, D. B., Cho, S., Chen, F., Rebay, I. and Cadigan, K. M. (2003). "Splits ends is a tissue/promoter specific regulator of Wingless signaling." Development 130: 3125-3135.

Cadigan, K. M. (2002). "Wnts: twenty years and counting." Trends in Genetics 18: 340-342.

Cadigan, K. M. (2002). "Morphogen gradients in the Drosophila wing." Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology 13: 83-90.

Parker, D., Jemison, J., and Cadigan, K. M. (2002). "Pygopus, a nuclear PHD finger protein required for Wingless signaling in Drosophila." Development 129: 2565-2576.