The thyroid gland is the only tissue in the body that can absorb iodine and convert it into the thyroid hormones required for metabolic homeostasis and development. More than half (70 percent) of the thyroid gland is composed of thyrocytes arranged in follicles. Although abnormal thyrocyte proliferation and differentiation play an important role in human disease, there are few good model systems of thyroid development to help us understand the molecular mechanisms by which these diseases develop. Existing approaches to investigate thyroid cell proliferation and differentiation rely on the in vitro culture of mouse or human thyroid cells or established cell lines of rat (FRTL-5, PCCL-3, and WRT) or more recently human thyroid. Although these approaches have provided useful information, each has its limitations. A lack of knowledge regarding thyroid stem/progenitor cell differentiation and proliferation has further hampered attempts to gain more insight into thyroid-associated disease mechanisms.

A major interest in the lab is to understand the molecular mechanisms of thyroid development during embryonic growth, an area of research that could aid in the understanding of how biological processes malfunction and lead to human thyroid disease. Our research program focuses on the identification of molecules responsible for programming thyroid stem cells. A more recent interest in the lab is the molecular basis of thyroid cancer development. We utilize a broad range of techniques encompassing cell, molecular and development biology. We also employ transgenic and knockout technologies in mice.

Lin lab research interests: thyroid stem cell biology and development; differentiation and development of thyrocyte lineage from mouse and human embryonic stem cells; TSH signaling in embryonic thyroid development; molecular basis for thyroid cancer development.