Education

• Post-doctoral Training: Stanford University
• PhD, Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles

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Research Interests

(1) The development and maintenance of the retina is affected by specific associations between different types of cells. A long range objective of our retinal research program is to establish molecular mechanisms by which drugs, genetic programming, and communication between cells affect gene expression in retinal Mulller glial cells. We have cloned two Muller cell marker genes, glutamine synthetase and filamin, and have pioneered the use of intact retinal organ cultures for gene transfer research. Our studies have established that protein kinase A is required to activate glucocorticoid hormone-mediated signaling in early stage embryonic retina and identified separate enhancer complexes that mediate glucocorticoid inducibility and Muller cell specific gene expression, respectively. Current efforts are aimed at elucidating the molecular mechanisms responsible for Muller cell specific enhancer function and exploiting glial-specific enhancers to engineer retroviruses that target exclusively to glial cells in the CNS. (2) We are also elucidating the molecular mechanisms that regulate transcription of the human neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1) gene in developing, regenerating, and traumatized neurons. Because nitric oxide (NO) occupies a prominent position in any discussion of stroke and neurodegenerative disease, understanding how transcription of the NOS1 gene is regulated could prove to be exceedingly important in the context of drug discovery. Our research has established that transcription of the human NOS1 in the CNS is mediated by multiple promoters. Current efforts are focused on detailed examination of NOS1 transcriptional control using gene transfer, transgenic mice, and biochemical analysis.

Center for Molecular Neurobiology

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Teaching

Course Information coming soon...

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Professional Experience

Professional Experience Information coming soon...

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