Carol A. Erickson
Distinguished Professor
caerickson@ucdavis.edu
Molecular & Cellular Biology
Office
3133 Life Sciences Addition
752-8318
Degrees:
1976
PhD
Yale University
Cell Biology
1971
BA
Wilson College, Pennsylvania
Biology
Research Interests:
Our research focuses on the development of the avian trunk neural crest. We are particularly interested in the mechanisms that segregate the neural crest lineage from the neural epithelium, the mechanisms that guide specific neural crest lineages along different migratory pathways, and the control of neural crest cell differentiation.
The laboratory uses a number of experimental approaches to address cellular and molecular aspects of neural crest development including: surgical manipulation, cell culture, in vitro embryo culture, in ovo electroporation of expression plasmids, and gene knockdown using antisense oligonucleotides and morpholinos.
Awards:
Phi Beta Kappa, 1971
Research Career Development Award (NIH), 1983-1988
Elected Fellow, AAAS, 2001
Department and Center Affiliations:
Molecular and Cellular Biology
Professional Societies:
Society for Developmental Biology
Society for Cell Biology
American Society for the Advancement of Science
CBS Graduate Group Affiliations:
Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Specialties / Focus:
Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Development
Differentiation, Morphogenesis and Wound Healing
Signal Transduction and Gene Regulation
Graduate Groups not Housed in CBS:
Comparative Pathology
Publications:
Last updated 1/19/2012
Kos, R, MV Reedy, RL Johnson and CA Erickson. 2001. The winged-helix transcription factor FoxD3 is important for establishing the neural crest lineage and repressing melanogenesis in avian embryos. Development 128:1467-1479
Santiago A and CA Erickson. 2002. Ephrin-B ligands play a dual role in the control of neural crest cell migration. Development 129:3621-3632
Kos, R, RP Tucker, R Hall, T Duong, and CA Erickson. 2003. Methods for
Introducing Morpholinos into the Chicken Embryo. Developmental Dynamics 226: 470-477
Delalande, J.M., Barlow, A.J., Thomas, A.J., Wallace, A.S., Thapar, N., Erickson, C.A.,
Burns, A.J., 2007. The receptor tyrosine kinase RET regulates hindgut colonization by sacral
neural crest cells. Dev. Biol. 313:279.
Harris, M.L., Erickson, C.A., 2007. Lineage specification in neural crest cell pathfinding.
Dev. Dyn. 236, 1-19.
Harris,M.L., Hall,R., and Erickson,C.A. (2008). Directing pathfinding along the dorsolateral
path - the role of EDNRB2 and EphB2 in overcoming inhibition. Development 135, 4113-
4122.
Thomas,A.J. and Erickson,C.A. (2009). FOXD3 regulates the lineage switch between neural
crest-derived glial cells and pigment cells by repressing MITF through a non-canonical
mechanism. Development 136, 1849-1858.
Ahlstrom,J.D. and Erickson,C.A. (2009). The neural crest epithelial-mesenchymal transition
in 4D: a ‘tail’ of multiple non-obligatory cellular mechanisms. Development 136, 1801-1812.
Kuo, B.R. and Erickson, C.A. (2011) Vagal neural crest cell migratory behavior: a transition between the cranial and trunk crest. Dev. Dyn. 240, 2084-100.
Laboratory Personnel:
Erickson
Phil Spear, Jose Vilches-Moure
Teaching Interests:
Cell Biology, Developmental Biology
Courses:
MCB
258
Seminar in Development
Winter
MCB
259
Literature in Developmental Biology
Fall,Winter,Spring
MCB
145
Cell Signaling
Spring
MCB
213
Core Course in Developmental Biology
Winter