Winter quarter, 2007
Instructors:
David Kang and Binhai Zheng
Place:
Leichtag Biomedical Research Building, Room 2A05
Time:
1 - 3 pm every Tuesday (1/9/07 - 3/13/07)
Course descriptions:
This course will include discussions on selected papers in degeneration and regeneration of the mammalian central nervous system that utilize animal models to address molecular and cellular mechanisms. Each student is assigned one or more seminal/important research papers to present. All students are expected to read assigned background materials and research papers in advance in order to engage actively in the discussions. Topics to be addressed will include Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, frontotemporal dementia, ALS, spinal cord injury, among others. Students in all graduate and medical programs with the appropriate background are encouraged to register. Some background knowledge in molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, genetics and neurobiology is expected.
Session 1 (1/9/07): Introduction to the course & selection of topics
Session 2 (1/16/07): Animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) Dan Darcy
Review1: A decade of Modeling Alzheimer's disease in transgenic mice
Review2: The cell biology of Alzheimer's disease: uncovering the secrets of secretases
Article1: Alzheimer-type neuropathology in transgenic mice overexpressing V717F beta-amyloid precursor protein
Article2: Triple-transgenic model of Alzheimer's disease with plaques and tangles: intracellular Abeta and synaptic dysfunction
Session 3 (1/23/07): Alzheimer’s disease and tauopathies (continued) Audrey Oneill
Review: Mutations causing neurodegenerative tauopathies
Article1: Neurofibrillary tangles, amyotrophy and progressive motor disturbance in mice expressing mutant (P301L) tau protein
Article2: Tau suppression in a neurodegenerative mouse model improves memory function
Session 4 (1/30/07): Animal models of Parkinson’s disease (PD) Dustin Wakeman
Review: Parkinson's disease: a rethink of rodent models
Article1: alpha -Synucleinopathy and selective dopaminergic neuron loss in a rat lentiviral-based model of Parkinson's Disease
Article2: Parkinson-like syndrome induced by continuous MPTP infusion: convergent roles of the ubiquitin-proteasome system and alpha-synuclein
Supplemental review: Neural repair strategies for Parkinson's disease: insights from primate models
Session 5 (2/6/07): Animal models of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Andrew Crain
Review: Unraveling the mechanisms involved in motor neuron degeneration in ALS
Article1: Wild-type nonneuronal cells extend survival of SOD1 mutant motor neurons in ALS mice
Article2: Retrograde viral delivery of IGF-1 prolongs survival in a mouse ALS model
Session 6 (2/13/07): Wallerian degeneration (Wlds model) Ann Shih
Review: Tracking in the Wlds--the hunting of the SIRT and the luring of the Draper
Article1: Increased nuclear NAD biosynthesis and SIRT1 activation prevent axonal degeneration
Article2: NAD(+) and axon degeneration revisited: Nmnat1 cannot substitute for Wld(S) to delay Wallerian degeneration
Session 7 (2/20/07): CNS axon regeneration I: the glial scar and the CSPGs Jiun Do
Review: Regeneration beyond the glial scar
Article 1: Chondroitinase ABC promotes functional recovery after spinal cord injury
Article 2: Chondroitinase ABC promotes sprouting of intact and injured spinal systems after spinal cord injury
Session 8 (2/27/07): CNS axon regeneration II: myelin-derived inhibitors of neurite outgrowth Eunice Chen and Renee Chow
(2/27/07): CNS axon regeneration II: myelin-derived inhibitors of neurite outgrowth
Review: Glial inhibition of CNS axon regeneration
Article 1: Axon regeneration in young adult mice lacking Nogo-A/B
Article 2: Lack of enhanced spinal regeneration in Nogo-deficient mice
Article 3: Systemic deletion of the myelin-associated outgrowth inhibitor Nogo-A improves regenerative and plastic responses after spinal cord injury
Supplemental review: Genetic mouse models for studying inhibitors of spinal axon regeneration
Session 9 (3/6/07): Stem cells I: adult stem cells (in spinal cord injury model) Nick Wall
Review: The therapeutic potential of neural stem cells
Article 1: Allodynia limits the usefulness of intraspinal neural stem cell grafts; directed differentiation improves outcome
Article 2: Human neural stem cells differentiate and promote locomotor recovery in spinal cord-injured mice
Session 10 (3/13/07): Stem cells II: embryonic stem cells (in Parkinson’s model) Lara Rangel
Review: Stem and progenitor cell-based therapy of the human central nervous system
Article 1: Dopamine neurons derived from embryonic stem cells function in an animal model of Parkinson's disease
Article 2: Functional engraftment of human ES cell-derived dopaminergic neurons enriched by coculture with telomerase-immortalized midbrain astrocytes. If this link does not work, try this direct link to full journal article.