Sally Johnson

The normal processes that control the growth and development of soft tissues often participate in the reparative period following tissue damage.  Intimate to both events is the engagement and contribution of adult stem cells.  Using horse and mouse models, the laboratory seeks to uncover the biological mechanisms that mediate tendon and muscle progenitor cell activity during periods of growth and damage repair.  Specific projects ongoing in the laboratory include

• Development of tendon progenitor cell lines as tools for discovery research
• Identification of transcriptional networks that regulate stem cell plasticity
• Niche regulation of stem cell activity during post-exercise recovery

• Ph.D., Nutritional Biochemistry, University of Arizona, 1993
• M.S., Animal Sciences, Michigan State University, 1987
• B.S., Animal Husbandry, Michigan State University, 1984

Reed, S.A. and S.E. Johnson. Refinement of culture conditions for maintenance of undifferentiated equine umbilical cord blood stem cells. JEVS. 2012 Jun; 32:360-366.

Li, J., J.M. Gonzalez, D.K. Walker, M.J. Hersom, A.D. Ealy and S.E. Johnson. 2011. Evidence of heterogeneity within bovine satellite cells isolated from young and adult animals. J. Anim. Sci. 89:1751-1757.

Ouellette, S.E, J. Li, W. Sun, S. Tsuda, D.K. Walker, M.J. Hersom and S.E. Johnson. 2009. LEK1 is localized to subsets of myonuclei in bovine muscle fibers and satellite cells. J. Anim. Sci. 87:3134-3141.

Li, J., S.A. Reed and S.E. Johnson. 2009. HGF signals through SHP2 to regulate primary mouse myoblast proliferation.  Exp. Cell Res. 315:2284-2292.

Reed, S.A. and S.E. Johnson. Equine umbilical cord blood contains a population of stem cells that express Oct4 and differentiate into mesodermal and endodermal cell types. J Cell Physiol. 2008 May; 215(2):329-36