Clinical Interests

Lung development, disease, and repair

Research Interests

My laboratory is interested in determining the role of the Wnt/beta-catenin signal transduction pathway in lung development, disease, and repair, using the mouse as a model system. We have generated mice that no longer express the beta-catenin gene or express an activated protein in specific epithelial cells of the lung. We have shown that beta catenin plays a critical role in proximal/distal patterning of the lung. Overexpression of an activated beta catenin protein causes airspace enlargement, tumorigenesis, goblet cell hyperplasia, and changes in the cell types that line the conducting airway. Through the use of microarray analysis we have identified a number of genes that may be directly regulated by beta-catenin. These studies will provide insight into signal transduction pathways that play key roles in the developing lung. 

PhD: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1987.

Postdoctoral Fellowship: Division of Basic Science Research, Children's Hospital Research Foundation, Cincinnati, Ohio and Research Instructor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio 1987-1991.

Kida H, Mucenski ML, Thitoff AR, Le Cras TD, Park KS, Ikegami M, Müller W, Whitsett JA. GP130-STAT3 regulates epithelial cell migration and is required for repair of the bronchiolar epithelium.Am J Pathol. 2008 Jun;172(6):1542-54.

Bell SM, Schreiner CM, Wert SE, Mucenski ML, Scott WJ, Whitsett JA. R-spondin 2 is required for normal laryngeal-tracheal, lung and limb morphogenesis.Development. 2008 Mar;135(6):1049-58.

Mucenski ML, Nation JM, Thitoff AR, Besnard V, Xu Y, Wert SE, Harada N, Taketo MM, Stahlman MT, Whitsett JA. Beta-catenin regulates differentiation of respiratory epithelial cells in vivo.Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2005 Dec;289(6):L971-9.

Reynolds PR, Mucenski ML, Le Cras TD, Nichols WC, Whitsett JA. Midkine is regulated by hypoxia and causes pulmonary vascular remodeling.J Biol Chem. 2004 Aug 27;279(35):37124-32.

Ramsay RG, Micallef S, Lightowler S, Mucenski ML, Mantamadiotis T, Bertoncello I. c-myb heterozygous mice are hypersensitive to 5-fluorouracil and ionizing radiation. Mol. Cancer Res. 2004 2(6):354-361.

Mucenski ML, Wert SE, Nation JM, Loudy DE, Huelsken J, Birchmeier W, Morrisey EE, Whitsett JA. beta-Catenin is required for specification of proximal/distal cell fate during lung morphogenesis.J Biol Chem. 2003 Oct 10;278(41):40231-8.

Reynolds PR, Mucenski ML, Whitsett JA. Thyroid transcription factor (TTF) -1 regulates the expression of midkine (MK) during lung morphogenesis.Dev Dyn. 2003 Jun;227(2):227-37.

Kaur S, Singh G, Stock JL, Schreiner CM, Kier AB, Yager KL, Mucenski ML, Scott WJ Jr, Potter SS. Dominant mutation of the murine Hox-2.2 gene results in developmental abnormalities. J Exp Zool. 1992 Dec 1;264(3):323-36.

Mucenski ML, McLain K, Kier AB, Swerdlow SH, Schreiner CM, Miller TA, Pietryga DW, Scott WJ Jr, Potter SS. A functional c-myb gene is required for normal murine fetal hepatic hematopoiesis.Cell. 1991 May 17;65(4):677-89.