From migration to morphogenesis: how cells stop moving and build epithelia

About the Project

Cells in development are constantly on the move — migrating to new locations, changing shape, and coordinating with their neighbours. But at some point, migratory cells must stop, polarise, and assemble into epithelial sheets to form organised tissues. How do cells decide when to make this transition from migration to building tissues, and how do their orientate and coordinate their behaviour with respect to their position in the embryo?

This PhD project will focus on dissecting the external and internal factors driving a cell to stop moving become epithelial, guiding this fundamental switch during Drosophila midgut morphogenesis. You will use either existing single-cell transcriptomic atlases within in the lab, or carry out new single cell RNA-seq experiments to identify candidate pathways. You will then investigate for a functional role using deep-tissue live and fixed imaging on our lab’s own dedicated dual-line multiphoton confocal combined with cell and genetic approaches routinely performed in the lab, such as FISH and CRISPR. There will also be the chance to build on techniques we have recently started using in our system, such as expansion microscopy and laser ablation combined with live imaging. This is a unique opportunity for you to carry out cutting-edge microscopy and develop your skills in an exciting multidisciplinary environment.

Funding Notes

Self-Funded applicants only

References

Lab website
https://cellplasticity.weebly.com/
Recent work from the lab
Plygawko, A.T., Adams, J., Richards, Z. and Campbell, K. (2025) A hormonally regulated gating mechanism controls EMT timing to ensure progenitor specification occurs prior to epithelial breakdown. BioRxiv. doi: 10.1101/2025.07.19.665116

Plygawko, A.T, Stephan-Otto Attolini, C., Pitsidianaki, I., Cook, D.P., Darby, A.C and Campbell, K. (2024) The Drosophila adult midgut progenitor cells arise from asymmetric divisions of neuroblast-like cells. Developmental Cell. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2024.10.011
Sharpe, J.L., Morgan, J., Nisbet, N., Campbell, K. and Casali, A. (2023) Modelling cancer metastasis in Drosophila melanogaster. Cells. doi: 10.3390/cells12050677.
Jonckheere, S., Adams, J., De Groote, D., Campbell, K., Berx, G. and Goossens, S. Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) as a therapeutic target. (2022) Cells Tissues Organs. doi: 10.1159/000512218
Pitidianaki, I., Morgan, J., Adams, J. and Campbell, K. (2021) Mesenchymal-to-epithelial transitions require tissue-specific interactions with distinct laminins. Journal of Cell Biology. doi: 10.1083/jcb.202010154
Plygawko, A.T., Kan, S., and Campbell, K. (2020) Epithelial–mesenchymal plasticity: emerging parallels between tissue morphogenesis and cancer metastasis. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Vol. 375, No. 1809. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0087.