Amy Cherie Ralston

Amy Cherie Ralston is a Professor at Michigan State University's College of Natural Science in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, where she also serves as Associate Dean - Graduate Studies. Her research focuses on the genetic and molecular mechanisms governing early mouse embryonic development, particularly the specification of pluripotent and extraembryonic lineages.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Zoology, University of Wisconsin (2004)
• B.A. in Biochemistry, Oberlin College (1995)

Research Interests encompass mouse embryonic development, pluripotent stem cell regulation, HIPPO signaling pathway functions, and transcription factor dynamics during lineage specification. She has extensively studied the roles of OCT4, SOX2, Cdx2, and TEAD4 in developmental fate determination.

Publications highlight trends in mouse blastocyst lineage segregation, stem cell maintenance mechanisms, and signaling pathway interactions. Notable work includes studies on HIPPO pathway members' restriction of pluripotency factors and culture condition impacts on developmental signaling.

Students and Lab: Dr. Ralston leads the Ralston Laboratory, mentoring graduate and postdoctoral researchers in developmental biology and stem cell research. While specific student names aren't listed, her lab's work has produced significant insights into extraembryonic endoderm stem cell lines and transcription factor functions in reprogramming.