Immunofluorescent staining of microtubules and KIF2A in mouse cortical neurons

Neurons have evolved numerous mechanisms to diversify and regulate their gene expression. Our laboratory investigates the role of gene expression mechanisms in nervous system development and function. Particularly we study this process at two levels: regulation of transcription and alternative splicing.

1. At the transcriptional level we focus on a group of neurogenic transcription factors that control the differentiation of cortical projection neurons. We identify genome-wide targets of these transcription factors within the developing cerebral cortex using high-throughput and computational methods such as ChIP-Seq and RNA-Seq. We use our high-throughput data to generate testable hypotheses for identifying novel pathways and processes regulated by neurogenic transcription factors.

2. Our laboratory is also interested in how alternative splicing contributes to the functional diversification of the neuronal proteome. Alternative splicing of gene transcripts is important in the nervous system, and defects in alternative splicing can lead to severe brain disorders. In this project we study a group of RNA-binding proteins called nELAVL (Embryonic lethal and abnormal vision-like). which are required for neuron-specific alternative splicing. We continue to investigate the separable neuronal functions of the protein isoforms generated from a single gene by ELAV-regulated alternative splicing.