Research
My group is interested in understanding the factors controlling stem and progenitor cell fate in the late stage development and maintenance of tissues, and the pathways leading to diseased states. To resolve the functional behaviour of cell populations, we develop mathematical approaches inspired by studies in statistical physics to address genetic lineage tracing data in transgenic animal models. Among areas of interest, we are collaborating with Cedric Blanpain (Brussels) to investigate the early lineage specification of heart. Using a multicolour labelling strategy, we are investigating the potency and lineage potential of Mesp1 expressing cells.
Publications
2014:
Deterministic progenitor behavior and unitary production of neurons in the neocortex. Gao P, Postiglione MP, Krieger TG, Hernandez L, Wang C, Han Z, Streicher C, Papusheva E, Insolera R, Chugh K, Kodish O, Huang K, Simons BD, Luo L, Hippenmeyer S, Shi SH. Cell. 2014 Nov 6;159(4):775-88.
Early lineage restriction in temporally distinct populations of Mesp1 progenitors during mammalian heart development. Lescroart F, Chabab S, Lin X, Rulands S, Paulissen C, Rodolosse A, Auer H, Achouri Y, Dubois C, Bondue A, Simons BD, Blanpain C. Nat Cell Biol. 2014 Sep;16(9):829-40.
Exclusive multipotency and preferential asymmetric divisions in post-embryonic neural stem cells of the fish retina. Centanin L, Ander JJ, Hoeckendorf B, Lust K, Kellner T, Kraemer I, Urbany C, Hasel E, Harris WA, Simons BD, Wittbrodt J. Development. 2014 Sep;141(18):3472-82.
Quantification of crypt and stem cell evolution in the normal and neoplastic human colon. Baker AM, Cereser B, Melton S, Fletcher AG, Rodriguez-Justo M, Tadrous PJ, Humphries A, Elia G, McDonald SA, Wright NA, Simons BD, Jansen M, Graham TA. Cell Rep. 2014 Aug 21;8(4):940-7.
Neutral competition of stem cells is skewed by proliferative changes downstream of Hh and Hpo. Amoyel M, Simons BD, Bach EA. EMBO J. 2014 Oct 16;33(20):2295-313.
Differentiation imbalance in single oesophageal progenitor cells causes clonal immortalization and field change. Alcolea MP, Greulich P, Wabik A, Frede J, Simons BD, Jones PH. Nat Cell Biol. 2014 Jun;16(6):615-22.
Mouse spermatogenic stem cells continually interconvert between equipotent singly isolated and syncytial states. Hara K, Nakagawa T, Enomoto H, Suzuki M, Yamamoto M, Simons BD, Yoshida S. Cell Stem Cell. 2014 May 1;14(5):658-72.
Intestinal crypt homeostasis revealed at single-stem-cell level by in vivo live imaging. Ritsma L, Ellenbroek SI, Zomer A, Snippert HJ, de Sauvage FJ, Simons BD, Clevers H, van Rheenen J. Nature. 2014 Mar 20;507(7492):362-5.
Distinct fibroblast lineages determine dermal architecture in skin development and repair. Driskell RR, Lichtenberger BM, Hoste E, Kretzschmar K, Simons BD, Charalambous M, Ferron SR, Herault Y, Pavlovic G, Ferguson-Smith AC, Watt FM. Nature. 2013 Dec 12;504(7479):277-81.
Unravelling stem cell dynamics by lineage tracing. Blanpain C, Simons BD. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2013 Aug;14(8):489-502.
Older key publications:
Driessens G, Beck B, Caauwe A, Simons BD, and Blanpain C (2012) Defining the mode of tumour growth by clonal analysis. Nature 488, 527-30
Simons BD and Clevers H (2011) Strategies for homeostatic stem cell self-renewal in adult tissues. Cell 145, 851-62
Snippert HJ, van der Flier LG, Sato T, van Es JH, van den Born M, Kroon-Veenboer C, Barker N, Klein AM, van Rheenen J, Simons BD and Clevers H (2010) Intestinal crypt homeostasis results from neutral competition between symmetrically dividing Lgr5 stem cells. Cell 143, 134-144
Lopez-Garcia C, Klein AM, Simons BD, and Winton DJ (2010) Intestinal stem cell replacement follows a pattern of neutral drift. Science 330, 822-825
Clayton E, Doupe D P, Klein A M, Winton D, Simons B D, and Jones P H (2007) A single type of progenitor cell maintains the epidermis. Nature 446, 185-189
More publications available through PubMed.
