Epithelial tissues in multicellular organisms are characterised by a pronounced apico-basal polarity, which is manifested in the asymmetric distribution of organelles and cytoplasmic proteins, and in the differentiation of the plasma membrane into two distinct domains, the apical and the baso-lateral domains. These domains can be further subdivided into spatially and functionally distinct regions.

Work in our group is aimed to understand the cellular, molecular and genetic mechanisms that control the establishment and maintenance of epithelial cell polarity and that are required to pattern the cell membrane and underlying cytocortex into functionally distinct domains. Studies to answer these questions are performed in the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster, the zebrafish Danio rerio and in cells in culture.

Wodarz, A., Hinz, U., Engelbert, M. and Knust, E. (1995)
Expression of Crumbs confers apical character on plasma membrane domains of ectodermal epithelia of Drosophila.
Cell 82, 67-76

Grawe, F., Wodarz, A., Lee, B., Knust, E. and Skaer, H. (1996)
The Drosophila genes crumbs and stardust are involved in the biogenesis of adherens junctions.
Development 122, 951-959

Bachmann, A., Schneider, M., Theilenberg, E., Grawe, F. and Knust, E. (2001)
Drosophila Stardust is a partner of Crumbs in the control of epithelial cell polarity.
Nature 414, 638-643

Johnson, K., Grawe, F., Grzeschik, N. and Knust, E. (2002)
Drosophila Crumbs is required to inhibit light-induced photoreceptor degeneration.
Curr. Biol. 12, 1675-1680

Richard, M., Grawe, F., and Knust, E. (2006)
DPATJ plays a role in retinal morphogenesis and protects against light-dependent degeneration of photoreceptor cells in the Drosophila eye.
Dev. Dyn. 235, 895-907