McGlinn Group

• microRNA control of Hox gene networks
• Genomic/epigenomic regulation of axis elongation and vertebral patterning
• Formation and patterning of spinal cord circuitry
• Evolutionary acquisition of microRNAs shapes developmental networks

Developmental gene networks

The accuracy and reproducibility with which the vertebrate embryo develops is remarkable. Our lab investigates how developmental gene networks are regulated, both at a transcriptional and post-transcriptional level, to achieve such exquisite reproducibility. 

Our lab continues to make seminal contributions to the understanding of how microRNA regulatory mechanisms contribute to refining or stabilising Hox functional output in mouse, how this relates to human disease and how differences in microRNA acquisition between species may shape differences in morphology.

In particular, we are interested in how the developmental modules that define total vertebral number are integrated with those that impart vertebral identity. Moreover, our lab has developed novel genetic tools to address critical questions regarding formation and function of neurons within the spinal cord that relay sensory information directly to the brain.