ZNI Seminar Series
Evan S. Deneris PhD
Professor, Department of Neurosciences
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
“Transcriptional Control of Serotonin System
Function across Life Span”
The Deneris lab is investigating the genetic mechanisms that act across lifespan to regulate brain serotonin system function and determine how these mechanisms impact postnatal serotonin modulated behavior and physiology. Their findings support the idea that altered transcriptional programming of serotonin neuron generation during embryogenesis is a potential mechanism for behavioral pathogenesis by showing that loss of serotonergic transcription factor function causes dramatic alterations in emotional behaviors, maternal behavior, inflammatory pain, breathing and thermoregulation. Additional findings demonstrate that the levels of serotonergic gene expression are sensitive to the level of expression of the developmental transcriptional program that gives rise to serotonin neurons during embryogenesis. Thus, subtle alterations in the activity of the serotonergic developmental program brought about by genetic variation or environmental factors might contribute to interindividual differences in serotonergic function and adult serotonin-modulated behaviors. Currently, research in the lab is aimed at using new temporally controlled genetic targeting approaches to investigate the requirement for ongoing serotonergic transcription in serotonin system maturation and maintenance across life span. Recent findings have begun to show that ongoing transcription is still needed in adult serotonin neurons for regulation of brain serotonin synthesis as well as maintenance of emotional behaviors. These new studies suggest that in addition to altered developmental mechanisms, aberrant serotonergic transcriptional mechanisms that normally regulate maintenance of the system in adulthood may also play an important role in behavioral pathogenesis.
Wednesday
June 9, 2010
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Herklotz Seminar Room / ZNI 112
USC Health Sciences Campus
1501 San Pablo St., Los Angeles, CA 90033
Tel. 323.442.2144
