Susan C. Chapman

Assistant Professor




Contact Information

340 Long Hall
Phone: 864-656-5432 (office), 864-656-3384 (lab)
FAX: 864-656-0435
Email: schapm2@clemson.edu

Education

  • Research Associate, University of Utah, 2004-2007
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Utah, 2002-2004
  • Ph.D. Developmental Biology, King's College London, 2002
  • B.S. Open University, 1999
  • B.S. Neuroscience, University College London, 1998

Research Interests

  • Embryonic development and organogenesis require interactions from multiple components, involving integration of numerous genetic and signaling pathways. Developmental complexity needs to be understood to assess major mechanisms of how complex organs develop. Tissues from multiple sources must interact with one another to signal, and induce each other, in complex and interrelated steps. Because the interactions are so complex, there are multiple ways that developmental (congenital) defects occur. In order to understand developmental defects in newborns we use vertebrate animal models to understand normal and abnormal development. We are interested in mechanisms of tissue specification, morphogenesis and patterning of specific regional identity during vertebrate head development, particularly within the hearing apparatus.
  • The ear has multiple components that need to develop and interact correctly for normal hearing: the outer, middle and inner ear together with the auditory nerve that transmits sounds to the brain. Conductive hearing loss resulting from dysmorphogenesis of this critical component of the hearing apparatus is an important biological and human health problem. Morphogenesis and identification of molecular markers involved in patterning the middle ear from induction to complete organogenesis is an exciting, developing research area.
  • My lab is also interested in neural tube defects and in particular caudal spinal birth defects involving malformation or degeneration of the vertebrae. The Araucana species of chicken are rumpless, lacking tails. The tail either does not form or degenerates and there is evidence of malformed lumbrosacral vertebrae. Analysis of the morphology and molecular mechanism of the rumpless phenotype in these birds may be useful in understanding Spina bifida and caudal regression syndrome in newborns.

Selected Publications

  • Susan C Chapman, Kiyoshi Matsumoto, Qin Cai, Gary C Schoenwolf. 2007. Specification of germ layer identity in the chick gastrula. BMC Developmental Biology, 7:91.
  • S.C. Chapman, Q,Cai, Steven B. Bleyl and G.C. Schoenwolf. 2006. 2006. Restricted expression of Fgf16 within the developing chick inner ear. Developmental Dynamics. 235:2276-2281.
  • S.C. Chapman, A.L. Sawitzke, D. Campbell and G.C. Schoenwolf 2005 A Three-Dimensional Atlas of Pituitary Gland Development in the Zebrafish. J. Comp. Neurol, Jul 11; 487(4):428-40.
  • Chapman, S.C., A. Lawson, W.C. MacArthur, R.J. Wiese, R.H. Loechel, M. Burgos-Trinidad, J.K. Wakefield, R. Ramabhadran, T.J. Mauch and G.C. Schoenwolf 2005 Ubiquitous GFP expression in transgenic chickens utilizing a lentiviral vector. Development, 132:935-940.
  • Chapman, S.C., Brown, R.P., Lees, L., Schoenwolf, G.C., Lumsden, A. 2004. Expression analysis of chick Wnt and Frizzled genes and selected inhibitors in early chick patterning. Chick Special Issue. Developmental Dynamics. 229:668-676.
  • Chapman, S.C., Schubert, F.R.S., Schoenwolf, G.C., Lumsden, A. 2003. Anterior identity is established in chick epiblast by hypoblast and anterior definitive endoderm. Development, 130 (21) 5091-5101.
  • Chapman, S.C., Schubert, F.R.S., Schoenwolf, G.C., Lumsden, A. 2002.Analysis of spatial and temporal gene expression patterns in blastula and gastrula stage chick embryos. Developmental Biology. 245 (1) 187-199
  • Chapman, S.C., Collignon, J., Schoenwolf, G.C., Lumsden, A. 2001. Improved Method for Chick Whole-Embryo Culture Using a Filter Paper Carrier. Developmental Dynamics, 220:284-289

Recent Courses

  • AFLS 191 Summer Intern Research
  • BIOSC 461/H461/661 Cell Biology
  • BIOSC 462/662 Cell Biology Lab
  • BIOSC/MICRO 491 Undergraduate Research in Biological Sciences
  • BIOSC 991 Doctoral Dissertation Research
  • BIOSC 871 Graduate Student Selected Topics

Graduate Students

  • Megha Kumar B.S., M.S.
  • Poulomi Ray B.S., M.S.
  • Leiyin Zhu, B.S.
  • Nowlan Freese, B.A.

Professional Affiliations

  • ASGBI (Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland)
  • BSDB (British Society for Developmental Biology)
  • Genetics Society
  • SDB (Society for Developmental Biology)