Bernd Fritzsch, PhD
- TU Darmstadt, Germany, PhD (1978)
- Freunde der TU Darmstadt
- The New York Academy of Sciences
- Society for Neuroscience
- Association for Research in Otolaryngology
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
Ear and hair cell development, regeneration, and evolution.
Ongoing research in the Fritzsch laboratory focuses on four main themes:
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Molecular basis of ear development and aging (funded by NIA/NIDCD R01/PPG)
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Molecular basis of inner ear efferent and brainstem motoneuron formation (currently with Children's Hospital, Boston)
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Molecular basis of hair cell proliferation, maintenance, and regeneration
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Improving multicolor dye tracing techniques (currently funded by NIH/NIMH)
Molecular Basis of Ear Development Research on the molecular basis of ear development analysis, various mutations (knockouts, knockins, transgenic misexpression) of transcription factors (bHLH, Lim homeodomain, GATA, Pax, Eya), or diffusible factors (Fgfs, Wnts, Erbs). This mutational analysis provides in vivo data that help resolve, in collaboration with other laboratories nationally and internationally, the molecular interactions of normal ear development as well as aberrant development underlying congenital ear defects. Superimposed on this proximate analysis is the ultimate question: resolving evolution of the mammalian ear as a transformation of embryonic developmental programs to generate an improved system for sound perception.
Current analysis focuses on:
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The role of miRNA on ear and hair cell development (collaboration with Dr. G. Soukup, Creighton University)
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The role of Lim domain factors (Isl1, Lmx1a) in ear and hair cell development (collaboration with Drs. G. Pavlinkova, Czech Academy of Sciences, and Dr. V. Chizhikov, University of Tennessee).
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The role of Fgfs, Gata3, Pax2/8, Sox2, Eya 1 and Neurog1 in cochlea neurosensory development (collaborations with Drs. K. Chea and M.H. Sham, Hong Kong; Dr. P. Xu, Einstein University).
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The role of neurotrophins in neurosensory support
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The role of Ca2+ binding proteins using transgenic expression (collaboration with Dr. E.N.Yamoah, University of Reno)
Molecular Basis of Inner Ear Efferent and Brainstem Motoneuron Formation The research on brainstem motoneurons is aimed to understand the evolution of novel motor outputs of the brainstem such as the evolution and development of eye muscles and their innervation and the evolution and development of the inner ear efferent system that modifies neurosensory information acquisition in the ear. These novelties are embedded in a fairly rigid framework of rhombomeric hindbrain development governed by the highly conserved homeobox genes as well as other transcription factors.
Current analysis centers around:
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The molecular basis of ocular muscle formation and connection development in mice.
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Molecular basis of inner ear efferent development using conditional mutations of Gata3 or homeobox gene knockout or knockins.
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Molecular basis of cochlear nucleus and cerebellar development using conditional mutations for Atoh1 and Neurod1 (collaboration with Dr. G. Pavlinkova, Czech Academy of Sciences)
Molecular Basis of Hair Cell Proliferation, Maintenance, and Regeneration Research on hair cell development and regeneration can be formally divided into two aspects: molecular basis of proliferation regulation and molecular basis of maintenance and differentiation of hair cells. Proliferation regulation is pursued through mutational dissection of CDK interactions and retinoblastoma/E2F interactions (collaborations with Drs. M. Barbacid, Madrid) Maintenance and differentiation of hair cells is investigated in conditional mutants of Atoh1 and mutants of Pou4f3 (collaboration with Drs. H. Zoghbi, Baylor College).
Improving Multicolor Dye Tracing Techniques Research on improvement of lipophilic dyes as well as other tracing techniques is focusing on multicolor labeling techniques in combination with in situ and immunocytochemical analyses to maximize data collection from single mutations for optimized high-throughput phenotypic characterization of mutants. Current work focuses on the various aspects of carbocyanine dyes with the ultimate goal in mind to generate multiple (up to eight) dyes that allow independent labeling of various neuronal populations to investigate simultaneously the interactions of multiple neuronal processes to develop synaptic connections (in collaboration with B. Gray, MITT).
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