 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Zaven KaprielianAssociate Professor Kennedy Center
|
|
Research InterestsThe research in my laboratory is aimed at elucidating the molecular mechanisms that control axon guidance in the developing Central Nervous System (CNS). Specifically, we are interested in understanding how growing axons navigate through intermediate targets/choice points and, ultimately, assemble into precisely positioned longitudinal fiber tracts. We utilize both the vertebrate spinal cord and the C. elegans ventral nerve cord (VNC) as model systems within which to analyze these types of guidance events using a comprehensive collection of experimental approaches. Our spinal cord studies focus on midline-crossing commissural axons and spinal accessory motor axons. Both classes of axons follow unique trajectories that culminate in the formation of longitudinal fiber tracts at stereotyped locations along the dorsoventral axis of the developing spinal cord. We use novel in vitro assay systems and a large array of mutant mice to identify guidance cues, and their corresponding receptors, which regulate the pathfinding of spinal commissural and spinal accessory motor axons. We have also initiated a series of studies aimed at investigating how dynamic changes in guidance receptor expression influence various aspects of commissural axon pathfinding in the spinal cord. In parallel, we are investigating the molecular mechanisms that control longitudinal axon tract formation in the C. elegans VNC. We have recently identified a novel protein, referred to as Vem-1, that is required for the proper patterning of axons within the VNC.
Selected Publications
|
||
