Michael Nunneley

I am interested in how distinct cell fates are established in developing embryos. Specifically, I am investigating how the thymus and parathyroid cell fates are specified, as both organs arise from a common primordium in the mouse embryo. Although several transcription factors serve as early markers of each cell fate and are necessary for organ functions, the actual specifiers of each fate are unknown. Additionally, there is an incomplete understanding of the extracellular signals from surrounding tissues that drive thymus and parathyroid cell fates. I am using a single cell transcriptomics approach to identify candidate specifiers of the thymus and parathyroid cell fates as well as signals from surrounding tissues driving such specifiers.