Nisson Schechter
Ph.D., Western Michigan University, 1971
Professor, Departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and Psychiatry and
Behavioral Science
Research Interests: Molecular biology of nerve development and regeneration
An orderly and functional regeneration of visual pathway axons occurs after
optic nerve injury in lower vertebrates. This phenomenon is not observed
in the central nervous system (CNS) of higher vertebrates. The goldfish
visual pathway, which is particularly amenable for examination, has therefore
emerged as an important model system for the study of molecular aspects
of optic nerve, as well as CNS, development, growth, and regeneration. This
laboratory is particularly concerned with the involvement of intermediate
filament (IF) proteins, and homeobox gene expression in nerve development
and regeneration.
We have shown that the non-neuronal IF proteins of the optic nerve are not
the expected GFAP, but rather belong to a developmentally regulated class
of keratins. Furthermore, from retinal expression libraries, we isolated
and characterized a cDNA clone representing a novel type III IF protein
- plasticin. The mRNA for this neuronal IF protein has been localized to
retinal ganglion cells and its level dramatically increases during optic
nerve regeneration. In addition, in another project, we showed that some
members of the homeobox gene family, a gene family whose products are involved
with regulatory aspects of CNS development, are expressed in the adult goldfish
retina.
We are characterizing cDNA clones for IFs and homeobox proteins expressed
in visual pathways of both zebrafish and goldfish. The clones are being
used to determine the cellular localization of these proteins and their
induction during development and regeneration by in situ hybridization and
immunohistochemistry. Genomic clones are being isolated to determine how
these genes are organized and transcriptionally regulated.
Levine, E. and Schechter, N. (1993) Homeobox genes are expressed in the
retina and brain of adult goldfish. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90: 2729-2733.
Glasgow, E., Druger, R.K., Fuchs, C., Lane, W.S. and Schechter, N. (1994)
Molecular cloning of gefiltin (ON1): serial expression of two new neurofilament
mRNAs during optic nerve regeneration. EMBO J. 13: 297-305.
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