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| Zhen Huang
Assistant Professor
Departments of Anatomy and Neurology
335 Service Memorial Institutes
Office Phone: 608/263-2469
Lab Phone: 608/262-2469
Fax: 608/262-7306
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z.huang@neurology.wisc.edu |
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Research Description
Cortical laminar assembly
My lab is interested in several aspects of the development of the cerebral cortex. We are interested in how the different levels of organization in the cortex (from global to cellular and synaptic) arise during normal development and how they are affected in and contribute to human diseases. To investigate how the laminar organization of the cortex arises, we focus on a group of early-born neurons named the Cajal-Retzius (C-R) cells. The C-R cells are a very unique group of neurons in that they are a born at the very beginning of cortical neurogenesis. They appear to originate from outside the cortex but populate the cortex just as it embarks on neurogenesis. They occupy key positions in the most superficial layer of the emerging cortex (the marginal zone). They also express a high level of Reelin, a secreted molecule critical for normal neuronal migration. Using mouse genetics and slice culture approaches, we are addressing several fundamental questions about the C-R cells:
1) How are the C-R cells guided to their specific destinations in the cortex?
2) What are the functions of the C-R cells in cortical neuronal cell fate determination and cortical laminar organization?
3) What is the exact role the C-R cells play in Reelin signaling?
4) What is their role in the development of cortical dysplasia?
Neuronal dendrite development:
We are also interested in how other levels of cortical organization develop, e.g., we are interested in how the different types of neurons in the brain develop their distinct patterns of dendritic morphology and how these contribute to the development of specific neuronal connectivity. Currently we are focusing on the roles of several cell division genes in dendrite development. We are in particular interested in genes involved in the determination of spindle orientation during cell division and are using mouse genetics as well as neuronal culture to address their functions in dendrite development. Through these efforts, we aim to address several questions:
1) Do the molecular mechanisms that regulate microtubule (MT)-cortical interaction during cell division play a role in regulating dendrite development?
2) If so, how do these molecular interactions adapt for the development of the diverse dendrite patterns in the brain?
3) How may the distinct dendritic patterns of the different neuronal cell types contribute to the development of specific neuronal connectivity, and to the generation of specific innate or learned behavior?
4) How may defects in this pathway contribute to neurological diseases?
Recent Publications
Huang, Z, Shimazu, K., Woo, N.H., Zang, K., Müller, U., Lu, B., and Reichardt, L.F. (2006). Distinct roles of the &Mac178;1-class integrins at the developing and the mature hippocampal excitatory synapse. The Journal of Neuroscience 26 (43): 11208-11219.
Huang, Z., Zang, K., and Reichardt, L.F. (2005). The origin recognition core complex regulates dendrite and dendritic spine development in postmitotic neurons. The Journal of Cell Biology 170 (4): 527-535.
Graus-Porta, D., Blaess, S., Senften, M., Littlewood-Evans, A., Damsky, C., Huang, Z., Orban, P., Klein, R., Schittny, J.C., and Müller, U. (2001). &Mac178;1-class integrins regulate the development of laminae and folia in the cerebral and cerebellar cortex. Neuron 31(3): 367-79.
Huang, Z., Shilo, B-Z., and Kunes, S. (1998). A retinal axon fascicle uses Spitz, an EGF receptor ligand, to construct a synaptic cartridge in the brain of Drosophila. Cell 95 (5): 693-703.
Huang, Z. and Kunes, S. (1998). Signals transmitted along retinal axons in Drosophila: Hedgehog signal reception and the cell circuitry of lamina cartridge assembly. Development 125 (19), 3753-3764.
Huang, Z. and Kunes, S. (1996). Hedgehog, transmitted along retinal axons, triggers neurogenesis in the developing visual centers of the Drosophila brain. Cell 86 (3): 411-422.
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