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Jonathan Joseph Henry

Profile picture for Jonathan Joseph Henry

Contact Information

Dept. of Cell and Developmental Biology
University of Illinois
B107 CLSL
601 S. Goodwin Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801

Professor Emeritus of Cell & Developmental Biology

Research Interests

Research Topics

Development, Genomics, Imaging, Molecular Evolution, Pattern Formation, Signal Transduction

Disease Research Interests

Cancer

Research Description

Mechanisms of cell determination; development and regeneration of the vertebrate lens; cornea stem cell biology; developmental basis for evolutionary change

The process of vertebrate lens induction

Our research efforts are aimed at understanding processes which lead to the determination of cell fate during embryogenesis. In particular, this work examines the role of cell-cell or inductive interactions, one of the most important modes of cell determination in vertebrate embryos. The developing lens represents a model system for studying this process. While the cell/tissue interactions involved in lens formation have been well characterized, relatively little is known of the molecular events responsible for lens formation. Some vertebrates are also able to regenerate the lens, including the frog Xenopus. We have identified a large suite of genes that are involved in lens cell determination in Xenopus. Using novel approaches, we are examining changes in gene expression, which are associated with the process of lens formation. In vivo functional assays are also being carried out to examine the role of specific transcripts in the context of both lens development and regeneration.

We are also interested in identifying inducer substances which control lens development and regeneration. Recent studies have shown that various growth factors may be active in these processes. We are developing transgenic frogs with inducible, dominant negative and active receptors to examine the roles of various signaling factors. The combination of molecular level studies, together with those involving transgenesis, tissue culture and transplantation, provide a powerful means to understanding the process of vertebrate lens formation, and those of embryonic cell determination, in general.

Developmental basis for evolutionary change

We have also been examining developmental events leading to the formation of diverse larval and adult body plans in different marine invertebrates, including a group of protostome phyla collectively referred to as the "Spiralia" The "Spiralia" represent a large group of closely related invertebrate phyla (members of the protostome, "Lophotrochozoa"). Studies point to significant levels of conservation in the functions of a number of regulatory and cell signaling pathways during development in the Metazoa, but most developmental/molecular studies have been carried out in a relatively small number of model systems. Therefore, the generality of so-called "fundamental" developmental processes within the Spiralia, and the Metazoa in general, is uncertain. Studies in our lab are being carried out to compare embryonic cell lineages and the mechanisms employed in cell and axis specification between representatives of these different groups. The molecular control of cell determination and embryonic axis formation is also being examined in these phyla. Together with modern molecular phylogeny data obtained by other labs, we are deciphering evolutionary change in developmental processes that lead to the construction of diverse larval and adult body plans.

Education

B.S., Lehigh University (Biology)
Ph.D., University of Texas-Austin (Zoology)
Postdoc., University of Virginia-Charlottesville
Postdoc., Indiana University

Awards and Honors

Marcus Singer Medal for Regeneration Research, Singer Society

Additional Campus Affiliations

Professor Emeritus, Cell and Developmental Biology

Recent Publications

Truchado-García, M., Perry, K. J., Cavodeassi, F., Kenny, N. J., Henry, J. Q., & Grande, C. (2023). A Small Change with a Twist Ending: A Single Residue in EGF-CFC Drives Bilaterian Asymmetry. Molecular biology and evolution, 40(2), Article msac270. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msac270

Lyons, D. C., & Henry, J. Q. (2022). Slipper snail tales: How Crepidula fornicata and Crepidula atrasolea became model molluscs. In B. Goldstein, & M. Srivastava (Eds.), Emerging Model Systems in Developmental Biology (pp. 375-399). (Current Topics in Developmental Biology; Vol. 147). Academic Press Inc.. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.ctdb.2021.12.013

Sonam, S., Bangru, S., Perry, K. J., Chembazhi, U. V., Kalsotra, A., & Henry, J. J. (2022). Cellular and molecular profiles of larval and adult Xenopus corneal epithelia resolved at the single-cell level. Developmental Biology, 491, 13-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.08.007

Adil, M. T., & Henry, J. J. (2021). Understanding cornea epithelial stem cells and stem cell deficiency: Lessons learned using vertebrate model systems. Genesis, 59(1-2), Article e23411. https://doi.org/10.1002/dvg.23411

Lesoway, M. P., & Henry, J. Q. (2021). Retinoids promote penis development in sequentially hermaphroditic snails. Developmental Biology, 478, 122-132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.06.013

View all publications on Illinois Experts

In the news

  • Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have generated the first comprehensive cellular map of the cornea in a frog species at early and adult developmental stages. Their findings could lead to the improvement of therapeutic treatments for diseases and dystrophies that effect...