Debbie J. Andrew, MS, PhD

Professional Titles

• Associate Director for Faculty Development, Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences
• Bayard Halsted Professor in Cell Biology

Primary Academic Title

Professor of Cell Biology

Background

Centers and Institutes

• Basic Biomedical Sciences, Institute for
• Cell Dynamics, Center for

Recent News Articles and Media Coverage

• How Cells ‘Climb’ to Build Fruit Fly Tracheas, Johns Hopokins Medicine (November 25, 2015)

Contact for Research Inquiries

725 N. Wolfe Street
G10 Hunterian
Baltimore, MD 21205

Phone: (410) 614-2722
Fax: (410) 955-4129
dandrew@jhmi.edu

Research Interests

Developmental genetics of organ formation, Drosophila

Lab Website

Andrew Laboratory: Center for Cell Dynamics - Lab Website

• Discovering mechanisms of epithelial tube formation

  Debbie Andrew is a geneticist and developmental biologist. She explores the regulation of form and function in epithelial tubes of fruit flies (Drosophila). Using an array of genetic tools and genome-wide transcription profiling, Debbie's lab has revealed key regulators of epithelial tube formation and physiological specialization, providing insight into the mechanisms of epithelial tube morphogenesis and homeostasis in human development and disease. Learn more about

  • current knowledge in the field of epithelial tube morphogenesis
  • the Andrew Lab's discovery of a single family of transcription factors regulating high-level secretory capacity

Research Summary

Tube formation is a ubiquitous process required to sustain life in all multicellular organisms. Tubular organs include the lungs, vasculature, digestive and excretory systems, as well as secretory organs such as the pancreas, salivary, prostrate, and mammary glands. The Andrew lab studies the Drosophila trachea and salivary gland as model systems for tube formation to learn how organ size, shape and function is normally controlled. Over the past several years, the lab has identified many genes expressed in the trachea and salivary gland and are characterizing the subset required for early tube morphogenesis.

Two of the genes encode transcription factors required for internalization of either the trachea or salivary gland, trachealess and fork head. Three genes encode transcription factors controlling tube elongation, ribbon, huckebein and hairy. Finally, several genes encode components of signaling pathways required for organ positioning. Current efforts in the lab are directed toward identifying and characterizing the roles of the downstream effector molecules regulated by these transcription factors and signaling pathways. They also study the mechanisms whereby the salivary gland becomes specialized for secretion and have learned that secretory capacity in this and other secretory organs is largely controlled by a single transcription factor, CrebA.

Selected Publications

• Abrams EW, Mihoulides WK, and Andrew DJ. (2006) “Fork head and Sage maintain a uniform and patent salivary gland lumen through regulation of two downstream target genes, PH4áSG1 and PH4áSG2.” Development 133: 3517-3527. PMID: 16914497

• Andrew DJ, Ewald AJ. (2010) “Morphogenesis of epithelial tubes: Insights into tube formation, elongation, and elaboration.” Developmental Biology 341: 34-55. PMID: 19778532

• Barbosa S, Fasanella G, Carreira S, Llarena M, Fox R, Barreca C, Andrew D, and O'Hare P. (2013) “An orchestrated program regulating secretory pathway genes and cargos by the transmembrane transcripton factor CREB-H.” Traffic. 14: 382-398

• Chung S-Y, Chavez C, Andrew DJ. (2011) “Trachealess (Trh) regulates all tracheal genes during Drosophila embryogenesis.” Developmental Biology 360: 160-172. PMID: 21963537

• Chung S-Y, Vining MS,, Bradley PL, Chan C-C, Wharton, KA, and Andrew DJ. (2009) “Serrano (Sano) functions with the planar cell polarity genes to control tracheal tube length.” PLoS Genetics 5(11): e1000746. PMID: 19956736

• Fox RM, Hanlon CD, Andrew DJ. (2010) “The CrebA/Creb3-like transcription factors are major and direct regulators of secretory capacity.” Journal of Cell Biology 191: 479-492. PMID: 21041443

• Fox RM, Vaishnavi A, Maruyama R, and Andrew DJ (2013) “Organ-specific gene expression: the bHLH protein Sage provides tissue-specificity to Drosophila FoxA.” Development. 140: 2160-71. PMID: 23578928

• Ismat A, Cheshire A, Andrew DJ (2013) “The secreted AdamTS-A metalloprotease is required for collective cell migration.” Development 140: 1981-1993. PMID: 23578928

• Kerman BE, Andrew DJ. (2010) “Staying alive: Dalmatian-mediated epigenetic blocking of apoptosis is essential for tissue maintenance.” Developmental Dynamics 239:1609-21. PMID: 20503358

• Myat MM, Andrew DJ. (2002) “Epithelial tube morphology is determined by the polarized growth and delivery of apical membrane.” Cell 111:879-891. PMID: 12526813

Honors

• Professor's Award for Distinction in Teaching the Basic Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1/1/00
• Martin Kamen Award for Best Biochemistry Thesis, University of California, 1/1/87
• Cal Biochem Award for Molecular Research, 1/1/83

Professional Activities

• 51st Annual Drosophila Research Meeting, Co-organizer, 1/1/10
• Biennial EMBO Workshop "Molecular and Developmental Biology of Drosophila", Organizational Committee, 1/1/10 - 1/1/14
• Developmental Biology, Faculty of 1000, 1/1/04 - 1/1/08
• Developmental Dynamics, Editorial Board
• Drosophila Board, Treasurer, 1/1/13
• Drosophila Board of Directors, Mid-Atlantic Representative, 1/1/94 - 1/1/97
• Gordon Research Conference on Salivary Glands and Exocrine Biology, Co-organizer, 1/1/13
• NIAID International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research, Special Emphasis Panel, 1/1/10
• NIDCR review of in house faculty, Reviewer, 1/1/10 - 1/1/11
• Santa Cruz Developmental Biology Meeting, Co-organizer, 1/1/06

Additional Training

Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 1993, Developmental Biology; University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 1990, Developmental Biology