Cells know when to stick together.
They know which cells they should join to form an organ in the body. To understand more about the process as it works in the human brain, Roger Bradley is involved in a three-year project funded by the National Science Foundation. Working with him is Chris Stout, an MSU senior. The two are studying frog and chicken embryos to learn more about a family of molecules called protocadherins. They're especially interested in the role of protocadherins in the early development of the human spinal cord.