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Gupton Lab Featured on Cover of Molecular Biology of the Cell

September 1, 2017

The axon guidance cue netrin-1 and its receptor DCC promote axon branching in developing cortical neurons. In this study, we detail a novel molecular mechanism by which the brain-enriched E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM9 orchestrates multimerization of DCC, requisite activation of FAK and Src family kinases, and increases in exocytic vesicle fusion, all during netrin-dependent neuronal morphogenesis. We are the first to show that non-degradative ubiquitination of a receptor alters kinase activation and signaling pathways during morphogenesis.

Patricia Maness, PhD, Receives NIH R01 Titled, “Mechanisms of Developmental Spine Pruning Regulated by Ig-CAMS and Semaphorins”

August 31, 2017

The focus of this grant is to illuminate a novel mechanism for dendritic spine pruning in the mammalian neocortex by immunoglobulin (Ig)-class cell adhesion molecules and secreted Semaphorins. The overall goal is to identify mechanisms that govern synaptic connectivity in the mammalian neocortex, and to elucidate how their deficiency contributes to abnormal brain wiring relevant to neurodevelopmental disorders.

Matthew Judson, PhD, Publishes in the Journal of Neuroscience

August 22, 2017

Microcephaly is a hallmark of Angelman syndrome (AS), a debilitating neurodevelopmental disorder that results from loss of function of the HECT domain E3 ubiquitin ligase, UBE3A. However, until recently, the underlying causes of slowed brain growth in individuals with AS had gone unstudied, resulting in significant gaps in understanding of the pathogenesis of the disorder.

Jiami Guo, Anton Lab Postdoctoral Scholar, Publishes in Developmental Cell

August 11, 2017

An antenna-like structure on cells, once considered a useless vestige, appears to be important for proper brain development in mammals and when impaired can cause defects in the brain’s wiring similar to what’s seen in autism, schizophrenia, and other neuropsychiatric disorders. In lab experiments, UNC School of Medicine scientists prevented these wiring defects by restoring signaling though these antenna-like structures called primary cilia.

The study was published on August 7, 2017 in Developmental Cell.

Hiroyuki Kato Publishes in Neuron

July 14, 2017

In the study published July 6th in the journal Neuron titled, “Network-level Control of Frequency Tuning in Auditory Complex”, Kato et al. found a neuronal network basis for how our brain precisely represents the external world.

Joseph Piven Publishes in Science Translational Medicine on Early Detection of Autism

June 7, 2017

“In a new study, Emerson et al. show that brain function in infancy can be used to accurately predict which high-risk infants will later receive an autism diagnosis…These findings must be replicated, but they represent an important step toward the early identification of individuals with autism before its characteristic symptoms develop.” (http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/9/393/eaag2882)

Timothy Gershon, MD, PhD Continues to Seek Strategy for Starving Brain Tumors

June 1, 2017

In the journal Cancer Research, UNC Lineberger researchers led by Neuroscience Center member Timothy R. Gershon, MD, PhD, report in the latest in a series of attempts to shut down the energy production machinery in medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in children. The findings may help researchers identify a suitable therapeutic target within the sugar metabolism pathway, and provide clues to a scientific mystery surrounding the confounding way that some cancer cells get energy from sugar.