Jason Newbern
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Office: ISTB1 426 Lab: ISTB1 477BA-CA Arizona State University Tempe, AZ 85287-4501
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Mail code: 4501Campus: Tempe
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Research in my laboratory is focused on the cellular and molecular mechanisms that orchestrate the formation of the nervous system. We frequently utilize mouse genetic tools, models of developmental disorders, and pharmacological agents to study molecular functions during the specification and differentiation of distinct neural subtypes. We are especially interested in understanding how secreted cues and intracellular kinase cascades, especially those implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders, regulate crucial aspects of neuronal and glial development. Multiple developmental conditions are linked to abnormal activation of the Extracellular Regulated Kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2, aka the classical Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase) pathway. Using a series of mouse conditional knockouts, our studies continue to delineate the basic cellular functions of ERK1/2 signaling and associated molecular mechanisms in select developing neural circuits in vivo. Our findings have revealed a number of complex, cell-specific functions for ERK1/2 signaling in the early peripheral and central nervous system. These experiments rely upon immunolabeling, viral tracing, confocal microscopy, and transcriptomic approaches to examine processes critical for circuit formation in the nascent mouse cortex and spinal cord. A family of syndromes termed the RASopathies and certain autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are associated with genetic mutations in regulators of ERK1/2 signaling. Intellectual disability, developmental delay, locomotor abnormalities, and seizures are often observed in these conditions. Our research has discovered unique developmental responses to pathological ERK1/2 activity that may contribute to these deficits. The relationship between these alterations and complex behaviors or learning is an emerging focus of our work, in addition to exploring approaches meant to reverse pathology. To address these broader questions, we have established strong collaborations with researchers studying development, addiction, neurodegeneration, and/or brain injury. Our research has provided unique insight into kinase functions during nervous system development and shed light on candidate neuropathological mechanisms in disorders characterized by aberrant intracellular signal transduction activity.
- PhD Wake Forest University - School of Medicine 2006
- BS University of Michigan-Ann Arbor 2000
