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CBN News Archive

Epigenetic link to neurodegeneration in ataxia? Professor Karl Herrup recently reported in Nature Medicine that children born with ataxia telangiactasia, a disorder known to be related to DNA repair, can also be linked to proteins that change epigenetic regulation in neurons. Results demonstrated that inhibiting HDAC4 protein in a mouse model was able to reduce symptoms. Read the announcement of Prof. Herrup's discover in a recent Rutgers Today article.

Too much of an important brain protein leads to cognitive disorders? Professor Bonnie Firestein recently reported in the Journal of Neuroscience that overexpression of PSD95, a protein important for proper branching of neurons, leads to problems with branching and therefore the interconnection of neurons in the brain. Read the announcement of Prof. Firestein's discover in a recent Rutgers Today article.

A new model of Alzheimer's Disease Professor Karl Herrup recently published a novel hypothesis to explain the etiology of Alzheimer's Disease. Appearing in the December 15, 2010 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, Prof. Herrup's hypothesis is that AD is triggered by three steps, starting with an initiating injury, continuing with an inflammatory response, and resulting in a change in cell state. This model places the so-called "amyloid theory" in context of a larger progression of events, helping to explain why therapies targeting amyloid may be insufficient to ameliorate symptoms. Read the profile of Dr. Herrup and his model in a recent Rutgers news release.

Quality control in RNA capping Professor Megerditch Kiledjian's lab has recently published evidence for a novel quality control mechanism in RNA capping in the journal Nature. A recently-discovered protein, Rai1, is found to initiate decay of RNA transcripts bearing aberrant or incomplete cap structures. This work is described in more detail in a recent article in Rutgers Research Highlights.

CBN welcomes Professor Martin Schwander! Prof. Martin Schwander, recently of the The Scripps Research Institute, has accepted an offer to become one of the newest Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology & Neuroscience at Rutgers University. Prof. Schwander has identified several new mouse mutations that model human deafness, including forms of progressive hearing loss that mimic types of age-related human hearing loss. These mouse models identify specific genes involved in function of the inner ear and the sensitive hair cells, so it is expected that Prof. Schwander's work will lead to new strategies for preventing or treating human deafness.

Professor Kenneth Paradiso joins Rutgers CBN! Prof. Kenneth G. Paradiso, recently of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, has accepted an offer to become one of the newest Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology & Neuroscience at Rutgers University. Prof. Paradiso's research focuses on the electophysiology of the calyx of Held, an important synaptic structure in the brain that helps to integrate audio input. Prof. Paradiso arrives with an NIH K99 Pathway to Independence (PI) Award to support his research. The faculty of CBN welcomes our newest colleague!

Professor Ron Hart awarded NIH Research Challenge Grant Prof. Hart, in collaboration with Prof. Manolis Kellis of CSAIL and the Broad Institute of MIT, was recently awarded a $1M Research Challenge Grant to study the role of small RNAs in regulating epigenetic marks on chromatin. The NIH Research Challenge grant program used ARRA funds to make only about 200 awards having high impact in biomedical or behavioral science and/or public health. Prof. Hart's award was one of a small number of projects using human embryonic stem cells under the new NIH guidelines.

NJ Autism Grant Awarded: Cypin and Neuroligin-1 in synaptogenesis  Prof. Bonnie Firestein was recently awarded a grant from the New Jersey Governor's Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism. The project will determine how cypin and Neuroligin-1 (NLGN-1) regulate excitatory synapse formation, since creating the appropriate number and type of connections is essential for proper brain development and function. Defects in synapse formation underlie a number of cognitive disorders, including autism and autism spectrum disorders.

NJ Autism Grant Awarded: Reelin protein and autism Prof. Gabriella D'Arcangelo was recently awarded a grant from the New Jersey Governor's Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism. The project seeks to investigate the Reelin signaling pathway in synapse formation in developing mouse brain. Autism is believed to be associated with altered synaptic function.