Craniofacial anomalies occur in approximately 1:100 live births, and these differences can have significant impacts on the lives of affected individuals and their families. The Watt lab is interested in developing genetic models to better understand craniofacial differences and focuses on two main areas:

1) Neural crest cell development. Neural crest cells are a migratory cell population that are critical for development of craniofacial cartilage, bone, and connective tissue. Research in the lab aims to understand how dysregulation of neural crest cell development results in specific craniofacial differences, using zebrafish as a model system.

2) RNA Polymerase I and III. RNA Polymerases I and III are multi-subunit enzyme complexes which transcribe a variety of non-coding RNAs critical for all cell growth, proliferation, and survival. Surprisingly, disruptions in RNA Polymerases I and III give rise to several distinct syndromes with specific phenotypic presentations. Another goal in the lab is to understand how pathogenic variants in genes encoding subunits RNA Polymerases I and III give rise to these distinct phenotypes. The emphasis is on understanding how these genes function in neural crest cell development and how that relates to phenotypes in the craniofacial cartilage, bone, and dentition.