- Australia
- Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Institute of Biology, UndergraduateUniversity of Tasmania, Menzies Institute for Medical Research, Graduate StudentUniversity of Adelaide, School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, Department Memberadd
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Neural Migration Laboratory investigating the capacity of neural stem cells to shape neural circuit formation, maintenance and function during development and throughout adulthood, both in the healthy brain and under pathological conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia. Specific... morePostdoctoral Research Fellow at the Neural Migration Laboratory investigating the capacity of neural stem cells to shape neural circuit formation, maintenance and function during development and throughout adulthood, both in the healthy brain and under pathological conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia. Specifically, I am working to determine how WRC-Cyfip-FMRP network affects apical radial glial progenitors’ proliferation and neurogenesis, leading to cortical malformation and ASD-like behaviour in mice. I have a long-standing interest in neuroscience research, that extends from understanding how brain function is regulated during development and in healthy ageing through to the pathways that enable neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.edit
- A/Prof Kaylene Young, Anita Jocelyne Marsaioli, Maria Fuller, Alexandre Leite Rodrigues de Oliveira, Anete Pereira de Souza, Prof Helen Cooperedit
Research Interests:
Throughout life, oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) proliferate and differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes. OPCs express cell surface receptors and channels that allow them to detect and respond to neuronal activity,... more
Throughout life, oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) proliferate and differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes. OPCs express cell surface receptors and channels that allow them to detect and respond to neuronal activity, including voltage‐gated calcium channel (VGCC)s. The major L‐type VGCC expressed by developmental OPCs, CaV1.2, regulates their differentiation. However, it is unclear whether CaV1.2 similarly influences OPC behavior in the healthy adult central nervous system (CNS). To examine the role of CaV1.2 in adulthood, we conditionally deleted this channel from OPCs by administering tamoxifen to P60 Cacna1c fl/fl (control) and Pdgfrα‐CreER:: Cacna1c fl/fl (CaV1.2‐deleted) mice. Whole cell patch clamp analysis revealed that CaV1.2 deletion reduced L‐type voltage‐gated calcium entry into adult OPCs by ~60%, confirming that it remains the major L‐type VGCC expressed by OPCs in adulthood. The conditional deletion of CaV1.2 from adult OPCs significantly increased their ...
Research Interests:
Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) express protocadherin 15 (Pcdh15), a member of the cadherin superfamily of transmembrane proteins. Little is known about the function of Pcdh15 in the central nervous system (CNS), however, Pcdh15... more
Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) express protocadherin 15 (Pcdh15), a member of the cadherin superfamily of transmembrane proteins. Little is known about the function of Pcdh15 in the central nervous system (CNS), however, Pcdh15 expression can predict glioma aggression and promote the separation of embryonic human OPCs immediately following a cell division. Herein, we show that Pcdh15 knockdown significantly increases extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) phosphorylation and activation to enhance OPC proliferation in vitro. Furthermore, Pcdh15 knockdown elevates Cdc42-Arp2/3 signalling and impairs actin kinetics, reducing the frequency of lamellipodial extrusion and slowing filopodial withdrawal. Pcdh15 knockdown also reduces the number of processes supported by each OPC and new process generation. Our data indicate that Pcdh15 is a critical regulator of OPC proliferation and process motility, behaviours that characterise the function of these cells in the healthy CNS, a...