Regulation of autophagy, mitophagy and biogenesis

Description of projects available to graduate students:
We take an integrated approach to Parkinson's disease and related Lewy body dementias that bridges study of diseased human brain tissues with cell culture, biochemistry and mouse models. We have found a key signaling interface that coordinately regulates mitochondrial biogenesis and mitophagy.

Potential rotation projects include:
1. Proteomic and mutagenic characterization of phosphorylation sites in transcription factors and autophagy mediators identified using proteomics.

2. Defining the mechanism(s) by which phosphorylation of the autophagy protein LC3 stabilizes dendritic arborization.

3. Perform behavioral and pathologic studies in a model autophagy deficiency in adult mice.

The student will join an active community of laboratories that hold joint journal clubs and lab meetings involving professors, physicians, and research trainees at multiple different levels. Issues of career development including presentation skills, grantsmanship, and balancing divergent responsibilities are addressed in addition to training in experimental design and finding the answers to the mysteries of the unknown.

Techniques graduate student will learn:
Cell death assays, immunoblotting, in vitro kinase assays, differentiation and transfection of neuronal cell lines, immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy, RT-PCR, proteomics, platereader assays, histopathologic evaluation/staging of human neurodegenerative diseases