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DSCB Spring Colloquium: "Bclw promotes axonal viability in aging and disease"

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Wednesday, April 01, 2015
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Dr. Rosalind Segal
Developmental & Stem Cell Biology Spring Colloquium

Dr. Segal's laboratory investigates the process of neural development - how the nervous system develops from neural stem cells to neurons that function within a neural circuit. Neural stem cells are self-renewing precursors capable of giving rise to additional stem cells and to differentiated neurons and glial cells. A feature of the specialized niches where stem cells are found in the developing and mature brain is that they contain both critical protein growth factors and specialized proteoglycans. Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) is one such growth factor. We are studying the mechanisms by which Shh regulates neural stem/precursor proliferation in the cerebellar cortex, and other mitogenic niches. Using genetic approaches to disrupt the binding of Shh to proteoglycans, we find that Shh interactions with specialized proteoglycans are needed for a proliferative response to Shh. As mutations that activate the Shh signaling pathway cause brain tumors and other cancers, Shh-proteoglycan interactions are likely to be important in oncogenesis. They are currently investigating the ways in which inhibitors of Shh signaling might be used in treating brain tumors that arise from neural stem/precursors.

Contact: Carolyn Weinbaum