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Frank Laboratory: Research
My laboratory studies how specific synaptic connections are
established by primary sensory neurons in the spinal cord.
Sensory neurons supplying muscle versus skin make very different
synaptic connections within the spinal cord. we have shown
that molecular signals within developing limbs specify these
central patterns of connections.
A search for these molecular signals has identified LMO4,
a protein that regulates LIM homeodomain transcription factors,
as a signal that is differentially expressed in sensory neurons
supplying different muscles. Currently, we are changing the
expression of LMO4 in developing embryos to determine the
role of LMO4 in specifying the synaptic connections sensory
neurons make within the spinal cord.
The laboratory also uses knock-out mice to examine the role
of identified proteins in regulating synaptic specificity
between spinal neurons. Individual members of the ETS family
of transcription factors are expressed in sensory and motor
neurons innervating the same muscle, and deletion of one of
these genes disrupts the synaptic connections between these
neurons. Another transcription factor, Egr3, is required for
the formation of muscle spindles, so by deleting this gene,
one can test if the formation of specific sensory-motor synapses
depends on the presence of appropriate peripheral targets.
To test the effects of these genes on synaptic specificity,
microelectrode recordings are made from motor neurons in an
isolated preparation of the mouse spinal cord to measure the
synaptic input these neurons receive from identified muscle
sensory neurons. |
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Laboratory Information
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Principal Investigator
Eric Frank
Professor and Chair
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Program Affiliations
Cellular & Molecular Physiology
Neuroscience
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Contact Information
Department of Physiology
Tufts University
136 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02111
Office (617) 636-6739
Lab (617) 636-3709
Fax (617) 636-0445
Send Email |
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