Valentina Greco, PhD
Carolyn Walch Slayman Professor of Genetics
Research & Publications
Biography
News
Research Summary
My lab studies how our organs are maintained throughout life. We established novel approaches to track and manipulate stem cells in live animals, which enabled the following discoveries:
The importance of support.We discovered that stem cells can be replaced, but loss of the niche disables tissue regeneration. We identified extrinsic cues that spatially organize different stem cell behaviors, including survival and death. We found that fibroblasts do not move within the dermis, but extend their membranes to compensate for the loss of neighboring fibroblasts and sustain organ homeostasis.
Flexibility to demands.We showed that stem cells adapt their fate choices to satisfy tissue requirements after injury and during homeostasis. This adaptability maintains normal tissue architecture, despite mutant cells or aberrant differentiation cues. We found thatstemcell neighbors coordinate their fate choices: differentiation of a stem cell induces symmetrical division of a neighboring stem cell.
Battling disease.We demonstrated that the epithelium and mesenchyme possess diverse mechanisms to correct aberrant growths induced by mutational or non-mutational insults, suggesting an exciting concept: that our tissues have innate mechanisms to eliminate tumors in their earliest stages.
These breakthroughs advance our long-term goal of understanding organ homeostasis, wound repair and cancer.
Coauthors
Research Interests
Cell Biology; Dermatology; Genetics; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Regeneration; Stem Cells; Stem Cell Niche
Selected Publications
- Organ function is preserved despite reorganization of niche architecture in the hair follicleWei H, Du S, Parksong J, Pasolli H, Matte-Martone C, Regot S, Gonzalez L, Xin T, Greco V. Organ function is preserved despite reorganization of niche architecture in the hair follicle Cell Stem Cell 2023, 30: 962-972.e6. PMID: 37419106, DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.06.003.
- Injury prevents Ras mutant cell expansion in mosaic skinGallini S, Annusver K, Rahman N, Gonzalez D, Yun S, Matte-Martone C, Xin T, Lathrop E, Suozzi K, Kasper M, Greco V. Injury prevents Ras mutant cell expansion in mosaic skin Nature 2023, 619: 167-175. PMID: 37344586, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06198-y.
- Mechanisms of skin vascular maturation and maintenance captured by longitudinal imaging of live miceKam C, Singh I, Gonzalez D, Matte-Martone C, Solá P, Solanas G, Bonjoch J, Marsh E, Hirschi K, Greco V. Mechanisms of skin vascular maturation and maintenance captured by longitudinal imaging of live mice Cell 2023, 186: 2345-2360.e16. PMID: 37167971, PMCID: PMC10225355, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.04.017.
- Cell cycle controls long-range calcium signaling in the regenerating epidermisMoore J, Bhaskar D, Gao F, Matte-Martone C, Du S, Lathrop E, Ganesan S, Shao L, Norris R, Sanz N, Annusver K, Kasper M, Cox A, Hendry C, Rieck B, Krishnaswamy S, Greco V. Cell cycle controls long-range calcium signaling in the regenerating epidermis Journal Of Cell Biology 2023, 222: e202302095. PMID: 37102999, PMCID: PMC10140546, DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202302095.
- Live imaging reveals chromatin compaction transitions and dynamic transcriptional bursting during stem cell differentiation in vivoMay D, Yun S, Gonzalez D, Park S, Chen Y, Lathrop E, Cai B, Xin T, Zhao H, Wang S, Gonzalez L, Cockburn K, Greco V. Live imaging reveals chromatin compaction transitions and dynamic transcriptional bursting during stem cell differentiation in vivo ELife 2023, 12: e83444. PMID: 36880644, PMCID: PMC10027315, DOI: 10.7554/elife.83444.
- Gradual differentiation uncoupled from cell cycle exit generates heterogeneity in the epidermal stem cell layerCockburn K, Annusver K, Gonzalez D, Ganesan S, May D, Mesa K, Kawaguchi K, Kasper M, Greco V. Gradual differentiation uncoupled from cell cycle exit generates heterogeneity in the epidermal stem cell layer Nature Cell Biology 2022, 24: 1692-1700. PMID: 36357619, PMCID: PMC9729105, DOI: 10.1038/s41556-022-01021-8.
- Probing the rules of cell coordination in live tissues by interpretable machine learning based on graph neural networksYamamoto T, Cockburn K, Greco V, Kawaguchi K. Probing the rules of cell coordination in live tissues by interpretable machine learning based on graph neural networks PLOS Computational Biology 2022, 18: e1010477. PMID: 36067226, PMCID: PMC9481156, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010477.
- LB1011 Oncogenic ras mutation induces spatiotemporally specific tissue deformation through converting fluctuated into sustained ERK activationXin T, Regot S, Greco V. LB1011 Oncogenic ras mutation induces spatiotemporally specific tissue deformation through converting fluctuated into sustained ERK activation Journal Of Investigative Dermatology 2022, 142: b32. DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2022.05.1039.
- LB892 Distinct endothelial behaviors orchestrate developing versus adult skin vascular responsesKam C, Singh I, Sola P, Solanas G, Bonjoch J, Matte-Martone C, Gonzalez D, Marsh E, Hirschi K, Greco V. LB892 Distinct endothelial behaviors orchestrate developing versus adult skin vascular responses Journal Of Investigative Dermatology 2022, 142: b7. DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2022.05.909.
- LB1016 Gradual differentiation uncoupled from cell cycle exit generates heterogeneity in the epidermal stem cell layerCockburn K, Annusver K, Gonzalez D, Ganesan S, May D, Kawaguchi K, Kasper M, Greco V. LB1016 Gradual differentiation uncoupled from cell cycle exit generates heterogeneity in the epidermal stem cell layer Journal Of Investigative Dermatology 2022, 142: b32. DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2022.05.1044.
- A group approach to growing as a principal investigatorGreco V, Politi K, Eisenbarth S, Colón-Ramos D, Giraldez AJ, Bewersdorf J, Berg DN. A group approach to growing as a principal investigator Current Biology 2022, 32: r498-r504. PMID: 35671717, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.082.
- From start to finish—a molecular link in wound repairYun S, Greco V. From start to finish—a molecular link in wound repair Science 2022, 375: 619-620. PMID: 35143296, DOI: 10.1126/science.abn7411.
- Functional cell death, corneoptosis, requires temporally controlled intracellular acidificationMoore JL, Greco V. Functional cell death, corneoptosis, requires temporally controlled intracellular acidification Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2021, 118: e2106633118. PMID: 33986147, PMCID: PMC8179175, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2106633118.
- Skin-resident immune cells actively coordinate their distribution with epidermal cells during homeostasisPark S, Matte-Martone C, Gonzalez DG, Lathrop EA, May DP, Pineda CM, Moore JL, Boucher JD, Marsh E, Schmitter-Sánchez A, Cockburn K, Markova O, Bellaïche Y, Greco V. Skin-resident immune cells actively coordinate their distribution with epidermal cells during homeostasis Nature Cell Biology 2021, 23: 476-484. PMID: 33958758, PMCID: PMC8603572, DOI: 10.1038/s41556-021-00670-5.
- 606 Connecting signaling dynamics with cell fates in live miceXin T, Regot S, Greco V. 606 Connecting signaling dynamics with cell fates in live mice Journal Of Investigative Dermatology 2021, 141: s105. DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2021.02.634.
- Abstract A16: Understanding the principles of tissue repair that accelerate tumor initiationGallini S, Greco V. Abstract A16: Understanding the principles of tissue repair that accelerate tumor initiation Molecular Cancer Research 2020, 18: a16-a16. DOI: 10.1158/1557-3125.ras18-a16.
- Hair follicle regeneration suppresses Ras-driven oncogenic growthPineda CM, Gonzalez DG, Matte-Martone C, Boucher J, Lathrop E, Gallini S, Fons NR, Xin T, Tai K, Marsh E, Nguyen DX, Suozzi KC, Beronja S, Greco V. Hair follicle regeneration suppresses Ras-driven oncogenic growth Journal Of Cell Biology 2019, 218: 3212-3222. PMID: 31488583, PMCID: PMC6781447, DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201907178.
- 354 Capturing epithelial-immune interactions to maintain tissue homeostasisPark S, Martone C, Greco V. 354 Capturing epithelial-immune interactions to maintain tissue homeostasis Journal Of Investigative Dermatology 2019, 139: s61. DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2019.03.430.
- Flexible fate determination ensures robust differentiation in the hair follicleXin T, Gonzalez D, Rompolas P, Greco V. Flexible fate determination ensures robust differentiation in the hair follicle Nature Cell Biology 2018, 20: 1361-1369. PMID: 30420661, PMCID: PMC6314017, DOI: 10.1038/s41556-018-0232-y.
- Positional Stability and Membrane Occupancy Define Skin Fibroblast Homeostasis In VivoMarsh E, Gonzalez DG, Lathrop EA, Boucher J, Greco V. Positional Stability and Membrane Occupancy Define Skin Fibroblast Homeostasis In Vivo Cell 2018, 175: 1620-1633.e13. PMID: 30415836, PMCID: PMC7605015, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.10.013.
- Homeostatic Epidermal Stem Cell Self-Renewal Is Driven by Local DifferentiationMesa KR, Kawaguchi K, Cockburn K, Gonzalez D, Boucher J, Xin T, Klein AM, Greco V. Homeostatic Epidermal Stem Cell Self-Renewal Is Driven by Local Differentiation Cell Stem Cell 2018, 23: 677-686.e4. PMID: 30269903, PMCID: PMC6214709, DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2018.09.005.
- Abstract PR02: Capturing the integration of Ras-mutant cells into normal epithelial tissue using live imagingPineda C, Greco V. Abstract PR02: Capturing the integration of Ras-mutant cells into normal epithelial tissue using live imaging Cancer Research 2018, 78: pr02-pr02. DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.mousemodels17-pr02.
- 1330 Flexible fate determination ensures robust differentiation in the skin hair follicleXin T, Greco V. 1330 Flexible fate determination ensures robust differentiation in the skin hair follicle Journal Of Investigative Dermatology 2018, 138: s226. DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2018.03.1347.
- 698 Capturing the role of epithelial-immune interactions to maintain tissue homeostasisPark S, Martone C, Greco V. 698 Capturing the role of epithelial-immune interactions to maintain tissue homeostasis Journal Of Investigative Dermatology 2018, 138: s119. DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2018.03.707.
- Correction of aberrant growth preserves tissue homeostasisBrown S, Pineda CM, Xin T, Boucher J, Suozzi KC, Park S, Matte-Martone C, Gonzalez DG, Rytlewski J, Beronja S, Greco V. Correction of aberrant growth preserves tissue homeostasis Nature 2017, 548: 334-337. PMID: 28783732, PMCID: PMC5675114, DOI: 10.1038/nature23304.
- Tissue-scale coordination of cellular behaviour promotes epidermal wound repair in live micePark S, Gonzalez DG, Guirao B, Boucher JD, Cockburn K, Marsh ED, Mesa KR, Brown S, Rompolas P, Haberman AM, Bellaïche Y, Greco V. Tissue-scale coordination of cellular behaviour promotes epidermal wound repair in live mice Nature Cell Biology 2017, 19: 155-163. PMID: 28248302, PMCID: PMC5581297, DOI: 10.1038/ncb3472.
- The thrill of scientific discovery and leadership with my groupGreco V. The thrill of scientific discovery and leadership with my group Molecular Biology Of The Cell 2016, 27: 3185-3188. PMID: 27799490, PMCID: PMC5170847, DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e16-06-0373.
- Abstract 4385: Live-imaging the interface between homeostasis and cancer initiationPineda C, Martone C, Suozzi K, Brown S, Beronja S, Greco V. Abstract 4385: Live-imaging the interface between homeostasis and cancer initiation Cancer Research 2016, 76: 4385-4385. DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2016-4385.
- Spatiotemporal coordination of stem cell commitment during epidermal homeostasisRompolas P, Mesa KR, Kawaguchi K, Park S, Gonzalez D, Brown S, Boucher J, Klein AM, Greco V. Spatiotemporal coordination of stem cell commitment during epidermal homeostasis Science 2016, 352: 1471-1474. PMID: 27229141, PMCID: PMC4958018, DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf7012.
- 090 Stromal re-organization in hair follicle development and cancer suppressionSun T, Greco V, Myung P. 090 Stromal re-organization in hair follicle development and cancer suppression Journal Of Investigative Dermatology 2016, 136: s16. DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2016.02.116.
- Intravital imaging of hair follicle regeneration in the mousePineda CM, Park S, Mesa KR, Wolfel M, Gonzalez DG, Haberman AM, Rompolas P, Greco V. Intravital imaging of hair follicle regeneration in the mouse Nature Protocols 2015, 10: 1116-1130. PMID: 26110716, PMCID: PMC4632978, DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2015.070.
- Niche-induced cell death and epithelial phagocytosis regulate hair follicle stem cell poolMesa KR, Rompolas P, Zito G, Myung P, Sun TY, Brown S, Gonzalez DG, Blagoev KB, Haberman AM, Greco V. Niche-induced cell death and epithelial phagocytosis regulate hair follicle stem cell pool Nature 2015, 522: 94-97. PMID: 25849774, PMCID: PMC4457634, DOI: 10.1038/nature14306.
- Stem Cells in the Wild: Understanding the World of Stem Cells through Intravital ImagingBrown S, Greco V. Stem Cells in the Wild: Understanding the World of Stem Cells through Intravital Imaging Cell Stem Cell 2014, 15: 683-686. PMID: 25479745, PMCID: PMC4623825, DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2014.11.006.
- Establishing an academic laboratory: mentoring as a business modelGreco V. Establishing an academic laboratory: mentoring as a business model Molecular Biology Of The Cell 2014, 25: 3251-3253. PMID: 25360043, PMCID: PMC4214767, DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e14-06-1079.
- Spontaneous tumour regression in keratoacanthomas is driven by Wnt/retinoic acid signalling cross-talkZito G, Saotome I, Liu Z, Ferro EG, Sun TY, Nguyen DX, Bilguvar K, Ko CJ, Greco V. Spontaneous tumour regression in keratoacanthomas is driven by Wnt/retinoic acid signalling cross-talk Nature Communications 2014, 5: 3543. PMID: 24667544, PMCID: PMC3974217, DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4543.
- β-Catenin Activation Regulates Tissue Growth Non–Cell Autonomously in the Hair Stem Cell NicheDeschene ER, Myung P, Rompolas P, Zito G, Sun TY, Taketo MM, Saotome I, Greco V. β-Catenin Activation Regulates Tissue Growth Non–Cell Autonomously in the Hair Stem Cell Niche Science 2014, 343: 1353-1356. PMID: 24653033, PMCID: PMC4096864, DOI: 10.1126/science.1248373.
- Stem cell dynamics in the hair follicle nicheRompolas P, Greco V. Stem cell dynamics in the hair follicle niche Seminars In Cell And Developmental Biology 2013, 25: 34-42. PMID: 24361866, PMCID: PMC3988239, DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2013.12.005.
- Spatial organization within a niche as a determinant of stem-cell fateRompolas P, Mesa KR, Greco V. Spatial organization within a niche as a determinant of stem-cell fate Nature 2013, 502: 513-518. PMID: 24097351, PMCID: PMC3895444, DOI: 10.1038/nature12602.
- Abstract 5009: Stem cells and their signals during skin tumor regression.Zito G, Saotome I, Greco V. Abstract 5009: Stem cells and their signals during skin tumor regression. Cancer Research 2013, 73: 5009-5009. DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2013-5009.
- Linking Morphogen and Chromatin in the Hair FollicleMesa KR, Greco V. Linking Morphogen and Chromatin in the Hair Follicle Developmental Cell 2013, 25: 113-114. PMID: 23639438, PMCID: PMC3666555, DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2013.04.009.
- The death and growth connectionGreco V. The death and growth connection Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 2012, 14: 6-6. PMID: 23212474, PMCID: PMC3786357, DOI: 10.1038/nrm3490.
- Live imaging of stem cell and progeny behaviour in physiological hair-follicle regenerationRompolas P, Deschene ER, Zito G, Gonzalez DG, Saotome I, Haberman AM, Greco V. Live imaging of stem cell and progeny behaviour in physiological hair-follicle regeneration Nature 2012, 487: 496-499. PMID: 22763436, PMCID: PMC3772651, DOI: 10.1038/nature11218.
- Compartmentalized organization: a common and required feature of stem cell niches?Greco V, Guo S. Compartmentalized organization: a common and required feature of stem cell niches? Development 2010, 137: 1586-1594. PMID: 20430743, PMCID: PMC2860245, DOI: 10.1242/dev.041103.
- A Two-Step Mechanism for Stem Cell Activation during Hair RegenerationGreco V, Chen T, Rendl M, Schober M, Pasolli HA, Stokes N, dela Cruz-Racelis J, Fuchs E. A Two-Step Mechanism for Stem Cell Activation during Hair Regeneration Cell Stem Cell 2009, 4: 155-169. PMID: 19200804, PMCID: PMC2668200, DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2008.12.009.