The Knapik lab focuses on the biology of protein transport and post-translational modifications in animal models of skeletal disease and development. The lab's positional cloning has identified disease genes relevant to craniofacial dysmorphology and skeletal development.

The lab has shown that vesicle coat protein components are essential for normal development and function of the skeletal system in zebrafish. Their work has further established zebrafish as an effective tool to address mechanistic questions for diseases caused by defects in paralogs of human genes. Lab members are continuing to develop strategies and resources to facilitate rapid gene mapping, disease gene identification and functional characterization in the zebrafish model.

NEWEST PUBLICATIONS

Tfap2a and Foxd3 regulate early steps in the development of the neural crest progenitor population.  2011 Developmental Biology 360: 173-185

A SNP-based linkage map for zebrafish reveals sex determination loci.  2011 G3 (Genes, Genomes, Genetics) 1: 3-9

Traffic jams in fish bones: ER-to-Golgi protein transport during zebrafish. 2011 Cell Adhesion & Migration 5: 114-118