Strains of M. tuberculosis during infection

This project is now closed

Kinase pathways in dendrite and spine development

Project supervisor – Sila Konur Ultanir

Division of Developmental Neurobiology

Dendritic arbors have beautiful and diverse morphologies. They have the vital function of receiving and integrating synaptic input communicated to the neuron. Excitatory neurons in the central nervous system in mammals contain micron sized dendritic protrusions called dendritic spines, which are sites for synapses. Development of dendritic arbors and spines are critical for the functioning of the nervous system. Defects in dendrite and spine development are associated with neurodevelomental disorders such as various forms of mental retardation or autism.

Kinases regulate all cellular processes by phosphorylating and altering the activity of their targets. Kinase signaling pathways play important roles in neuronal development. There are more than 500 kinases in human genome and they are a common drug target class. Understanding kinase signaling mechanisms that regulate neuronal dendrite and spine synapse development could enable targeted treatments for neurodevelopmental disorders.

The student project focuses on Mammalian Sterile 20 group of kinases. These are highly conserved proteins that function in various cellular processes including membrane trafficking, actin cytoskeleton regulation and transcriptional regulation. Some members of MST family kinases are important in cell division and cancer. How MST group of kinases contribute to dendrite and spine development are unknown.

The goal of the student is to determine the function of MST kinases in neuronal dendrite and spine synapse development using neuronal cultures and knockout mice.

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