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E David Litwack
Ph.D.
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| Academic Title:
Assistant Professor |
| Primary Appointment:
Anatomy and Neurobiology |
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elitw001@umaryland.edu |
| Location:
HSFII
S265 |
| Phone:
(410) 706-8824 |
| Fax:
(410) 706-2512 |
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Personal History
I received my B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Chicago. I then completed graduate studies in the Department of Biology at M.I.T., with Dr. Arthur D. Lander. I received postdoctoral training at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies with Dr. Dennis O'Leary. In 2002, I joined the faculty of the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Medicine.
Research Interests
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Layer 5 neurons of the cerebral cortex project
axions to a number of subcortical targets,
including the basilar pons
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The corticopontine projection is composed of axons arising from layer 5 neurons of the cerebral cortex. These axons, which can extend all the way to the spinal cord, form collateral branches that innervate the basilar pons, a nucleus of the ventral hindbrain. The basilar pons in turn is a major source of mossy fiber input to the cerebellum; consequently, the cerebropontocerebellar pathway provides a mechanism for the higher control of cerebellar function. One of the ways in which this is accomplished is by maintenance of a precise topographic axonal map from cerebral cortex to basilar pons. For instance, axons arising from visual cortex branch only in rostral basilar pons, while axons arising from motor cortex branch in more central regions of the basilar pons.
My lab is interested in identifying and characterizing the molecular activities that regulate the formation of topography in the corticopontine system. We have found that several known axon guidance molecules are expressed within subdomains of the basilar pons, making them candidates to differentially regulate the growth of axons from different cortical areas. In addition to these known genes, a novel member of the immunoglobulin superfamily has also been identified in the basilar pons. The expression and function of these genes with respect to cortical axon growth and branching are currently being characterized, using a combination of molecular biological, biochemical, and anatomical techniques.
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Focal injections of axon tracers in the mouse
cerebral cortex label branches growing into
the basilar pons
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Lab Techniques and Equipment
Research Techniques
- In vivo axon tracing;
- In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry;
- Tissue culture, including dissociated neuronal cultures, organotypic slice cultures and collagen gel cocultures;
- Protein expression, protein purification, and western blot analysis;
- Molecular biology, including cDNA cloning, PCR, Southern and Northern blots;
- Transgenic/knockout mouse production
Publications
Woodring PJ, Litwack ED, O'Leary DDM, Lucero GR, Wang JYJ, Hunter T (2002) Modulation of the F-actin cytoskeleton by c-Abl tyrosine kinase in cell spreading and neurite extension. Journal of Cell Biology, 156:879-892.
Gesemann M , Litwack ED , Yee KT, O'Leary DDM (2001) Identification of genes expressed during the development of the basilar pons and its circuitry. Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences, 18:1-12. [These authors contributed equally.]
Liu W, Litwack ED, Lander AD, Stanley MH, Langford JK, Sanderson RD(1998) Heparan sulfate proteoglycans as adhesive and anti-invasive molecules: syndecans and glypicans have distinct functions. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 273:22825-22832.
Litwack, ED, Ivins JK, Kumbasar A, Stipp CS, Lander AD (1998). Expression of the heparan sulfate proteoglycan glypican in the developing rodent. Developmental Dynamics, 211:72-87.
Ivins, JK, Litwack ED, Kumbasar A, Stipp CS, Lander AD (1997). Cerebroglycan, a developmentally regulated cell-surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan, is expressed on developing axons and growth cones. Developmental Biology. 184:320-332
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