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My
research laboratory is devoted to the identification of
genes regulating development of the four-chambered vertebrate
heart; construction of both genomic and cDNA libraries for use
in hybridization screening and subtraction; role of growth
factors in the developing heart.
We are
studying the expression patterns of critical genes involved in
heart development, primarily focusing on the members of the Nkx,
Tbx, and BMP families. Previously developed digoxigenin-labeled
riboprobes against Tbx5 and Nkx2.5 genes yielded
high background staining making it impossible to study
expression patterns in whole embryos. To refine our protocol,
we are developing a family of mouse-specific Nkx2.5
probes ranging from 50 to nearly 1000 bases in length in order
to: (i) investigate the effect of probe length on signal
sensitivity and specificity in thin sections versus whole embryo
mounts, and (ii) compare probe labeling and detection
technologies (chemical versus radioisotopic) during in situ
hybridization.
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Dr. White (center)
and two of his research students.
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