Colin Kenny

This study shows that Mitfa-independent melanocyte progenitors in zebrafish are more susceptible to GNAQ-induced uveal melanoma than differentiated melanocytes.

The paper identifies GRHL1 as an orofacial cleft risk gene by analyzing conserved transcriptional regulatory networks between zebrafish and human periderm using single-cell multiome sequencing and functional validation.

The paper shows that loss of MITF activity in zebrafish melanocyte stem cells leads to premature expansion and novel transcriptional states during embryogenesis, with stage-specific effects on regeneration.

The paper identifies distinct gene expression programs driven by MITF, TFEB, and TFE3 in melanoma, revealing their functional specialization in regulating differentiation, metabolism, and immune infiltration.

This study identifies TFE3 and the non-canonical mTORC1 pathway as regulators of melanoma cell state plasticity, showing MITF suppresses the mesenchymal phenotype by modulating TFE3 expression.

The paper shows that TFAP2 paralogs regulate midfacial development via the ALX genetic pathway in mice and zebrafish.

The paper shows TFAP2 paralogs enhance MITF's ability to activate pigmentation genes but independently repress cell adhesion genes, affecting melanocyte and melanoma cell behavior.