Krauss Lab

Krauss Lab

Krauss Lab

Krauss Lab

Krauss Lab

Research

The Krauss lab is interested in how cell-cell adhesion and signal transduction pathways interact to regulate cell fate during embryonic developmental and adult tissue regeneration. We use a wide combination of approaches to gain insight into how genes and the environment interact in causation of common birth defects, and how adult stem cells are called into action to repair injury to tissues.

Robert S Krauss, PhD
Robert.Krauss@mssm.edu
Professor, Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology

Current Projects

Skeletal muscle stem cells

Skeletal muscle stem cells (MuSCs) are the source of skeletal muscle’s remarkable regenerative properties. MuSCs are maintained in a quiescent state during homeostasis but upon muscle injury they activate, proliferate, and differentiate to form new muscle. Mechanisms whereby quiescent stem cells sense and respond to tissue damage are, however, a persistent enigma in regenerative biology. Our recent work revealed that quiescent MuSCs have long, elaborate cellular projections that respond to injury via a Rac-to-Rho GTPase activity switch. This leads to retraction of projections and cytoskeletal remodeling, which in turn drives downstream MuSC activation events. Current studies focus on how projections sense tissue injury and how cytoskeletal regulation controls quiescence vs. activation states.

 

Modeling holoprosencephaly in the mouse

The causes of individual cases of most common birth defects are unknown but likely involve a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental exposures. Holoprosencephaly (HPE) is a common developmental disorder caused by failure to define the midline of the forebrain and/or midface, and serves as a model system for this problem. HPE is associated with heterozygous mutations in Nodal, Hedgehog (HH), and other pathways, but clinical presentation is highly variable, and many mutation carriers are unaffected. It is therefore thought that such mutations interact with more common modifiers, genetic and/or environmental, to produce severe patterning defects. We have developed mouse models for HPE that accurately reflect its complex etiology in humans. Current studies focus on molecular mechanisms whereby genetic and environmental risk factors synergize to produce adverse developmental outcomes. Such findings offer potential for preventive strategies.

Featured Recent Publications

Hung, M., H.-F. Lo, A.G. Beckman, D. Demircioglu, G. Damle, D. Hasson, G.L. Radice, and R.S. Krauss. (2024). Cadherin-dependent adhesion is required for muscle stem cell niche anchorage and maintenance. Development, 151:1-16, dev.202387. https://journals.biologists.com/dev/article/151/7/dev202387/346476/Cadherin-dependent-adhesion-is-required-for-muscle?guestAccessKey=d5edfa4e-acac-4706-bd38-f64c8f9e26eb

Hung, M., Lo, H.-F., Jones, G.E.L., and R.S. Krauss. (2023). The muscle stem cell niche at a glance. J Cell Sci, 136: jcs261200. https://journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/136/24/jcs261200/337756/The-muscle-stem-cell-niche-at-a-glance?guesAccessKey=a688cfa6-000c-434c-adc4-802d89e59de2

Krauss, R.S. and A.P. Kann. (2023). Muscle stem cells get a new look: Dynamic cellular projections as sensors of the stem cell niche. BioEssays 45:1-9, 10.1002/bies.202200249 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bies.202200249

Lipinski, R.J. and R.S. Krauss. (2023). Gene-environment interactions in birth defect etiology: Challenges and opportunities. Curr Top Dev Biol 152:1-30. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0070215322001028?via%3Dihub

Krauss, R.S. (2023). Materialism meets transcendence. Searching: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science. Science, 379:36. https://www.science.org/stoken/author-tokens/ST-938/full

Kann, A.P., Hung, M., Wang, W., Nguyen, J., Gilbert, P.M., Wu, Z., and Krauss, R.K. (2022). An injury-responsive Rac-to-Rho GTPase switch drives activation of muscle stem cells through rapid cytoskeletal remodeling. Cell Stem Cell, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2022.04.016

Lo, H.-F., M. Hong, and R.S. Krauss. (2021). Concepts in multifactorial etiology of developmental disorders: gene-gene and gene-environment interactions in holoprosencephaly. Front Cell Dev Biol., 10.3389/fcell.2021.795194   https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcell.2021.795194/full

Lo, H-F., Hong, M., Szutorisz, H., Hurd, Y.L., and R.S. Krauss. (2021). Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol inhibits Hedgehog-dependent patterning during development. Development, 148(19). https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.199585

Kann, A.P., Hung, M., and R.S. Krauss. (2021). Cell-cell contact and signaling in the muscle stem cell niche. Curr Opin Cell Biol, 73:78-83. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955067421000703

Hong, M., A. Christ, A. Christa, T.E. Willnow and R.S. Krauss. (2020). Cdon mutation and fetal alcohol converge on Nodal signaling in a mouse model of holoprosencephaly. eLife, 9:e60351
https://elifesciences.org/articles/60351

Kann, A.P. and R.S. Krauss. (2019). Multiplexed RNAscope and immunofluorescence on whole-mount skeletal myofibers and their associated stem cells. Development, 146:1-9, dev179259. https://dev.biologists.org/content/146/20/dev179259.abstract

Hong, M., K. Srivastava, S. Kim, B.L. Allen, D.J. Leahy, P. Hu, E. Roessler, R.S. Krauss* and M. Muenke*. (2017). BOC is a modifier gene in holoprosencephaly. Hum Mutat., 38:1464-1470.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/humu.23286

Goel, A.J., M.K. Rieder, H.H. Arnold, G.L. Radice, and R.S. Krauss. (2017). Niche cadherins control the quiescence-to-activation transition in muscle stem cells. Cell Reports, 21:2236-2250.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124717315826?via%3Dihub

Meet the Team

Robert Krauss

Professor
Robert.Krauss@mssm.edu

Rob is interested in how cell adhesion and signal transduction interact to make stuff happen in developing embryos and regenerating tissues. His students and postdocs have been making him look good for a long time.

Mingi Hong

Research Assistant Professor
Mingi.Hong@mssm.edu

Mingi is a Research Assistant Professor interested in gene-environment interactions during development and how they contribute to the etiology of birth defects. Living things thrive around her, including the plants in the lab and her wonderful cat.

Vivian Lo

Postdoctoral Fellow
loh01@mssm.edu

Vivian is a postdoc interested in regulation of Shh signaling during early central nervous system development. Outside the lab, her favorite pastime is watching live sporting events in NYC, especially the US Open.

Grace Jones

PhD Student
grace.jones@icahn.mssm.edu

Grace is a fourth-year PhD student interested in the role of GTPases in muscle stem cell quiescence and activation. She loves trying new restaurants in New York, spending time with her cat, and finding friends who share her love for tacos and margs.

Jira White

MD/PhD Student
jira.white@icahn.mssm.edu

Jira is a third year MD/PhD student, in her first year of her PhD. She’s interested in uncovering genetic interactions driving birth defects. When she’s not at lab, she’s cooking, crocheting, and tending to her plants. 

Camelia González

Research Associate
camelia.gonzalez@mssm.edu

Camelia is a research associate, planning on going to medical school. She is from Puerto Rico and enjoys running, joking with her lab-mates, and warm days in the city.

 

Alumni

Gyu-un Bae ProfessorSookmyung Womens UniversitySeoul, Republic of Korea

Francesca Cole Associate Professor Molecular CarcinogenesisMD Anderson Cancer Center • Smithville, TX

Iris Cheng City Research ScientistNew York City Department of Health

Daisuke Chihara Postdoctoral Researcher • Institut Curie • Paris, France

Jessica Feinleib Assistant ProfessorAnesthesiologyYale School of MedicineNew Haven, CT

Aviva Goel Beckmann Head  Outbound Biology Pathos Biotechnology New York, NY

Maggie Hung Senior Scientist Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Tarrytown, NY

Guoying Jiang Executive/Senior DirectorHead of Analytical Development & Quality Control • GenentechSouth San Francisco, CA

Giselle Joseph Principle Scientist • Novartis Institute for Biomedical ResearchCambridge, MA

Jong-Sun Kang ProfessorSamsung Biomedical Research InstituteSungkyunkwan University School of MedicineSuwon, Republic of Korea

Allison Kann Postdoctoral Fellow Harvard University • Cambridge, MA

Sarah Knox ProfessorCell and Tissue BiologyUC San Francisco, CA

Youl-Nam Lee Managing Director, Business Development Division, Ensol Biosciences, • Sung Nam, Republic of Korea

Min Lu Director Oncology Translation Medicine ModernaCambridge, MA

Philip Mulieri Danbury OrthopedicsDanbury, CT

Marysia-Kolbe Rieder Genetic CounselorYale School of Medicine • New Haven, CT

Anthony Romer Associate Director Stem Cell Research and Development ElevateBio Cambridge, MA

Karen Schachter ScientistStem Cell DevelopmentNovo NordiskDenmark

Dario Sirabella Associate Research ScientistStem Cell Core Columbia University Medical CenterNew York, NY

Giichi Takaesu Associate ProfessorUniversity of the RyukyusOkinawa, Japan

Jaw-Ji Yang ProfessorChung Shan Medical University Taichung, Taiwan

Wei Zhang Principle Scientist UCB Pharmaceuticals Winchester, MA

Photos and Happenings!

Maggie graduates with her PhD!

Lab lunch at 2nd Ave Deli!

Allison graduates with her PhD!


Pandemic lab meetings look a little bit different…

The chick lab with an egg
The chick lab with an egg

Maggie receives the Miki Rifkin Graduate School Service Award!

We love gelato almost as much as we love science!

Allison wins the Terry Krulwich Doctoral Dissertation Prize!

The secret is out
The secret is out

Rob attends the Sundance Film Festival and reviews films for Science
Rob attends the Sundance Film Festival and reviews films for Science

Maggie’s defense party!

Our friends Caro and Anna visit from France!

Allison’s defense party!

Krauss lab at the March for Science
Krauss lab at the March for Science

Aviva’s defense party!
Aviva’s defense party!


Krauss lab 2018

Krauss lab at the 2018 departmental retreat
Krauss lab at the 2018 departmental retreat

Frontiers in Myogenesis conference in Brazil!

The Krauss lab hits Film Forum!

Rob is installed as Mount Sinai Professor in Cell Biology!

RK and ST - separated at birth?
RK and ST – separated at birth?

Giselle’s defense party!
Giselle’s defense party!

Contact Us

Krauss Laboratory
Robert.Krauss@mssm.edu
Professor, Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology

Location
Annenberg 25-70
Phone
Office: 212.241.2177
Lab: 212.241.9794

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