How Cells Regulate their Population Size

Our research aims to understand the mechanisms via which cells sense and maintain the size of multicellular populations at their appropriate density. In particular, we investigate the role of the coronin pathway to achieve proper cell population size control.

All multicellular organisms require a mechanism to regulate the appropriate numbers of cells within their tissues and organs for optimal functioning. We basically ask the question: how do cells ‘tune’ their population sizes? Our long-standing interest in unravelling the function of coronin proteins has recently defined members of the coronin protein family as key controllers of cell population size.

Coronin proteins are expressed in all multicellular eukaryotes, having evolved at the time of unicellular-to-multicellular transition. In our laboratory, we are using multiple approaches to delineate coronin-mediated cell population size regulation, ranging from analysis of facultative multicellular amoeba, to ex vivo and in vivo analysis of the coronin pathway in mammals.