Mechanisms of Nerve Regeneration
We are trying to understand how regenerating nerves respond to the extracellular environment, and how those external cues stimulate or inhibit axon growth. We are especially interested in signaling by Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), Chondroitin Sulfate ProteoGlycans (CSPGs), and their receptors TrkA and Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Sigma (PTPσ), respectively.
We grow neurons and other cells in culture to identify signaling networks that might be important for axon outgrowth (or inhibition). We then use chemical and genetic tools to disrupt signaling and ask if that alters axon outgrowth.
