---

Our laboratory focuses on understanding the mechanisms that regulate the differentiation of neurons. We study how the specific properties of different kinds of neurons are regulated.

We use zebrafish and a combination of anatomical, physiological, molecular, and genetic techniques. The goal of our research is to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms that regulate the establishment of specific neuronal cell fates during normal development and what goes wrong during disease.

Current projects include understanding the molecular genetics of ear, eye and muscle development, particularly as models of human disease.

Representative Publications

• Peng, G and M. Westerfield. (2006). Lhx5 Promotes Forebrain Development by Regulating Secreted Wnt Antagonists. Development 133, 3191-3200.

• Ochi, H., Pearson,B.J., Chuang, P.-T., Hammerschmidt, M, and Westerfield, M. (2006). Hhip regulates zebrafish muscle development by both sequestering Hedgehog and modulating internalization of Smoothened. Developmental Biol. 297 (1): 127-40.

• Ramsay, J.M., Feist, G.W., Matthews, J.L., Westerfield, M, Varga, Z.M., Kent, M.L., and Schreck, C.B. 2006. Whole-body cortisol is an indicator of crowding stress in adult zebrafish, Danio rerio. Aquaculture 258, 565-574.

• Rubin, D.L., Lewis, S.E., Mungall, C.J., Misra, S., Westerfield, M.,. Ashburner,M., Sim, I., Chute, C.G., Solbrig, H., Storey, M.-A., Smith, B., Day-Richter, J., Noy, N.F, and Musen, M. (2006). The National Center for Biomedical Ontology: Advancing biomedicine through structured organization of scientific knowledge. OMICS 10 (2): 199-204.

• Sprague, J., L. Bayraktaroglu, D. Clements, T. Conlin, D. Fashena, K. Frazer, M. Haendel, D. Howe, P. Mani, S. Ramachandran, K. Schaper, E. Segerdell, P. Song, B. Sprunger, S. Taylor, C. Van Slyke and M. Westerfield. (2006) The Zebrafish Information Network: the zebrafish model organism database. Nucl. Acids Res. 34, D581-D585.

• Nixon, J. Wegner, C. Ferguson, P.-F. Méry, J.F. Hancock, P.D. Currie, B. Key, M. Westerfield, and R.G. Parton. (2005). Zebrafish as a model for caveolin-associated muscle disease; caveolin-3 is required for myofibril organization and muscle cell patterning. Hum. Mol. Genet. 14 (13): 1727-1743.

• Henrich, T., M. Ramialison, B. Wittbrodt, B. Assouline, F. Bourrat, A. Berger, H. Himmelbauer, T. Sasaki, N. Shimizu, M. Westerfield, H. Kondoh and J. Wittbrodt. (2005). MEPD: A resource for medaka gene expression patterns. Bioinformatics 21 (14): 3195-3197.

• Wang-Buhler, J.L., S.J. Lee, W.G. Chung, J.F. Stevens, H.P. Tseng, T.H. Hsu, C.H. Hu, M. Westerfield, Y.H. Yang, C.L. Miranda and D.R. Buhler. (2005). CYP2K6 from zebrafish (Danio rerio): Cloning, mapping, developmental/tissue expression, and aflatoxin B1 activation by baculovirus expressed enzyme. Comp. Biochem. Biophys. 140 (2): 207-219.

• Dutta S., J.-E. Dietrich, G. Aspöck, R.D. Burdine, A. Schier, M. Westerfield and Z.M. Varga. (2005). pitx3 defines an equivalence domain for lens and anterior pituitary placode. Development 132, 159-190.

• Yan, Y.-L., J. Willoughby, D. Liu, J.G. Crump, C. Wilson, C.T. Miller, A. Singer, C. Kimmel, M. Westerfield and J.H. Postlethwait. (2005). A pair of Sox: distinct and overlapping functions of zebrafish sox9 co-orthologs in craniofacial and pectoral fin development Development, 132, 1069-1083.

• Wiellette E, Grinblat Y, Austen M, Hirsinger E, Amsterdam A, Walker C, Westerfield M, Sive H. (2004) Combined haploid and insertional mutation screen in the zebrafish. Genesis, 40 (4):231-40.

• Hirsinger E, Stellabotte F, Devoto SH, Westerfield M. (2004) Hedgehog signaling is required for commitment but not initial induction of slow muscle precursors. Dev Biol. 275 (1):143-57.

• Hans S, Liu D, Westerfield M. (2004) Pax8 and Pax2a function synergistically in otic specification, downstream of the Foxi1 and Dlx3b transcription factors. Development, 131(20):5091-102.

• Henrich T, Ramialison M, Segerdell E, Westerfield M, Furutani-Seiki M, Wittbrodt J, Kondoh H. (2004) GSD: a genetic screen database. Mech Dev . 121 (7-8):959-63.

• Jensen AM, Westerfield M. (2004) Zebrafish mosaic eyes is a novel FERM protein required for retinal lamination and retinal pigmented epithelial tight junction formation. Curr Biol. 14 ( 8):711-17.

• Liu, D., H. Chu, L. Maves, Y.-L. Yan, P.A. Morcos, J.H. Postlethwait, and M. Westerfield (2003) Fgf3 and Fgf8 dependent and independent transcription factors are required for otic placode specification. Development 130:2213-2224.

• Sprague, J., D. Clements, T. Conlin, P. Edwards, K. Frazer, K. Schaper, E. Segerdell, P. Song, B. Sprunger, and M. Westerfield (2003) The Zebrafish Information Network (ZFIN): the zebrafish model organism database. Nucl. Acids Res. 31:241-243.

• Yan, Y.-L., C.T. Miller, R. Nissen, A. Singer, D. Liu, A. Kim, B. Draper, J. Willoughby, P. Morcos, A. Amsterdam, B.C. Chung, M. Westerfield, P. Haffter, N. Hopkins, C. Kimmel, and J.H. Postlethwait (2002) A zebrafish sox9 gene required for cartilage morphogenesis. Development 129:5065-5079.

• Jensen, A.M., C. Walker, and M. Westerfield (2001) mosaic eyes: a zebrafish gene required in pigmented epithelium for apical localization of retinal cell division and lamination. Development 128:95-105.

• Sprague, J., E. Doerry, S. Douglas, M. Westerfield, and ZFIN Group (2001) The Zebrafish Information Network (ZFIN): a resource for genetic, genomic and developmental research. Nucl. Acids Res. 29:87-90.

• Varga, Z.M., A. Amores, Y. Yan, J.H. Postlethwait, J.S. Eisen, and M. Westerfield (2001) Zebrafish smoothened functions in ventral neural tube specification and axon tract formation. Development 128:3497-3509.

• Whitlock, K.E. and M. Westerfield (2000) The olfactory placodes of the zebrafish form by convergence of cellular fields at the edge of the neural plate. Development 127:3645-3653.

  ---

  
  Contact: Webmaster
  Copyright© Institute of Neuroscience