Key Members
J.
Michael Mathis, Ph.D.
Director
Dept. of Cellular Biology and Anatomy
B. Jill Williams, Ph.D.
Associate Director
Dept. of Urology
Arrigo De Benedetti, Ph.D.
Dept. of Biochemistry
Ronald Klein, Ph.D.
Dept. of Pharmacology
Cherie-Ann Nathan, M.D.
Dept. of Otolaryngology
Kate Ryman, Ph.D.
Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology
Francesco Turturro, M.D.
Dept. of Medicine
Wei-Ming Duan, M.D., Ph.D.Dept.
of Cellular Biology and Anatomy
Benjamin Li, M.D.
Dept. of Surgery
Qian-Jin Zhang, Ph.D.
Dept. of Cellular Biology & Anatomy
The Klein Lab
The Laboratory of Brain Gene
Transfer
Headed by Ronald Klein, Ph.D.
Dept. of Pharmacology
Michael Harper, B.S. Centenary
College 2003
"Bo" is a full-time Research
Associate in the lab since June, 2003. He is doing an excellent job with all
the techniques in the lab including: stereotaxic surgery, immunohistochemistry,
western blots, DNA large preps and sub-cloning, AAV vector preparation/characterization,
amphetamine-stimulated rotational behavior, unbiased optical dissector stereology,
and many software applications. The lab enjoys his up-to-date eclectic music
collection.
Robbie Dayton, B.A. Centenary College 2004
Robbie is a full-time Research
Associate in the lab since March, 2004. As well as being terrific in the lab,
he is known for effortlessly draining 3-pointers.
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Confocal micrograph showing adeno-associated virus serotype 5-mediated gene transfer of green fluorescent protein in the rat hippocampus. AAV-5 is particularly effective for transfecting granule neurons in the dentate gyrus. |
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AAV-2-mediated gene transfer of GFP to the hippocampus of double transgenic amyloid mice. GFP, green; amyloid plaques, red; nuclei, blue. Vector gene transfer to amyloid-bearing mice will facilitate mechanistic studies of Alzheimer’s disease by studying how the expression of specific enzymes may alter amyloid deposition. |
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Immuno-electron micrograph for hyperphosphorylated tau after mutant tau gene transfer to the rat basal forebrain. The 10-15 nm wide straight tau filaments are similar to the tau filaments found in human neurodegenerative diseases and in tau transgenic mice. This is the first example of neurofibrillary tangle formation in rats. |
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June, 1999 cover of Brain Research showing co-localization of GFP (green) with tyrosine hydroxylase (red) after AAV-2 gene transfer to the substantia nigra. In our article in the issue, we showed that BDNF gene transfer to the substantia nigra affected motor behavior, supporting the concept of neurotrophic factor gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease. |
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March, 2002 cover of Human Gene Therapy showing efficient transfection of the rat substantia nigra. In our article in the issue, we showed that expressing a mutant form of alpha-synuclein linked to familial Parkinson’s disease led to loss of dopamine neurons in the rat, establishing a new animal model for Parkinson’s disease. |
