Mailing Address |
Department of Cell & Systems Biology University of Toronto 25 Harbord St. Toronto, ON M5S 3G5 Canada |
Contact Information |
Office phone: 416-946-0436 Office: RW 606A Lab: RW 606 / 607 Lab phone: 416-946-7218 Email: ashley.bruce@utoronto.ca URL: |
Research Areas |
Animal Biology Cell Biology Developmental Biology Genetics Molecular Biology |
Research |
How are the complex and varied body plans of animals generated during embryonic development? Coordinated cell shape changes and cell movements, which constitute morphogenesis, generate the structure of tissues and organs of all animals. Concomitant with morphogenesis, is the specification of the germ layers, leading to the assignment of cell fates. Together, morphogenesis and cell fate specification underlie the transformation of a simple cleavage stage embryo into a complex, well-patterned adult, and when they go wrong, profound patterning defects result. Remarkably, the astonishing diversity of animal forms arises from a limited set of cellular processes that are shared by animal species. Thus, by examining these processes in the experimentally tractable zebrafish embryo we can learn about fundamental cellular properties and mechanisms of morphogenesis and tissue patterning that are likely to be widely used throughout animal development. |
Publications |
2019 |
A cargo model of yolk syncytial nuclear migration during zebrafish epiboly. Fei Z, Bae K, Parent SE, Wan H, Goodwin K, Theisen U, Tanentzapf G, Bruce AEE. Development. 2019 Jan 2;146(1). pii: dev169664. doi: 10.1242/dev.169664. pubmed |
2018 |
Oxidative Stress Orchestrates Cell Polarity to Promote Embryonic Wound Healing. Hunter MV, Willoughby PM, Bruce AEE, Fernandez-Gonzalez R. Dev Cell. 2018 Nov 5;47(3):377-387.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2018.10.013.pubmed |
2017 |
An Actomyosin-Arf-GEF Negative Feedback Loop for Tissue Elongation under Stress. West JJ, Zulueta-Coarasa T, Maier JA, Lee DM1, Bruce AEE, Fernandez-Gonzalez R, Harris TJC. Curr Biol. 2017 Aug 7;27(15):2260-2270.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.038. Epub 2017 Jul 20. pubmed |
2015 |
Zebrafish Epiboly: Spreading thin over the yolk.Bruce AE.Dev. Dyn. 2015 Oct; pubmed |
PAPC mediates self/non-self-distinction during Snail1-dependent tissue separation.Luu O, Damm EW, Parent SE, Barua D, Smith TH, Wen JW, Lepage SE, Nagel M, Ibrahim-Gawel H, Huang Y, Bruce AE, Winklbauer R.J. Cell Biol. 2015 Mar;208(6):839-856 pubmed |
2014 |
Global identification of Smad2 and Eomesodermin targets in zebrafish identifies a conserved transcriptional network in mesendoderm and a novel role for Eomesodermin in repression of ectodermal gene expression.Nelson AC, Cutty SJ, Niini M, Stemple DL, Flicek P, Houart C, Bruce A, Wardle FC.BMC Biol. 2014 Oct;12(1):81 pubmed |
Dynamin-dependent maintenance of epithelial integrity is essential for zebrafish epiboly.Lepage SE, Bruce AE.Bioarchitecture 2014 Jan-Feb;4(1):31-4 pubmed |
Zebrafish Dynamin is required for maintenance of enveloping layer integrity and the progression of epiboly.Lepage SE, Tada M, Bruce AE.Dev. Biol. 2014 Jan;385(1):52-66 pubmed |
2012 |
Differential regulation of epiboly initiation and progression by zebrafish Eomesodermin A.Du S, Draper BW, Mione M, Moens CB, Bruce A.Dev. Biol. 2012 Feb;362(1):11-23 pubmed |
2010 |
Zebrafish epiboly: mechanics and mechanisms.Lepage SE, Bruce AE.Int. J. Dev. Biol. 2010;54(8-9):1213-28 pubmed |
The tight junction component Claudin E is required for zebrafish epiboly.Siddiqui M, Sheikh H, Tran C, Bruce AE.Dev. Dyn. 2010 Feb;239(2):715-22 pubmed |
2009 |
Short- and long-range functions of Goosecoid in zebrafish axis formation are independent of Chordin, Noggin 1 and Follistatin-like 1b.Dixon Fox M, Bruce AE.Development 2009 May;136(10):1675-85 pubmed |
2008 |
Characterization and comparative expression of zebrafish calpain system genes during early development.Lepage SE, Bruce AE.Dev. Dyn. 2008 Mar;237(3):819-29 pubmed |
2006 |
Fog1 is required for cardiac looping in zebrafish.Walton RZ, Bruce AE, Olivey HE, Najib K, Johnson V, Earley JU, Ho RK, Svensson EC.Dev. Biol. 2006 Jan;289(2):482-93 pubmed |
2005 |
T-box gene eomesodermin and the homeobox-containing Mix/Bix gene mtx2 regulate epiboly movements in the zebrafish.Bruce AE, Howley C, Dixon Fox M, Ho RK.Dev. Dyn. 2005 May;233(1):105-14 pubmed |
2003 |
The maternally expressed zebrafish T-box gene eomesodermin regulates organizer formation.Bruce AE, Howley C, Zhou Y, Vickers SL, Silver LM, King ML, Ho RK.Development 2003 Nov;130(22):5503-17 pubmed |