Liqun Luo
Academic Appointments
- Professor, Biology (School of Humanities and Sciences)
- Professor (By courtesy), Neurobiology
- Member, Bio-X
Contact Information
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Academic Offices
Administrative Contact Stephanie Wheaton Adminstrative Associate Email Tel Work (650)724-3719
Professional Snapshot
Honors and Awards
- H.W.Mossman Award, American Association of Anatomists (2007)
- Jacob Javits Award, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (2005)
- Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (2005)
- Young Investigator Award, Society for Neuroscience (2002)
- Technology Innovation Award in Neuroscience, McKnight Foundation (2002)
Professional Education
| B.S.: | Univ. of Sci. & Tech. of China, Molecular Biology (1986) |
| Ph.D.: | Brandeis University, Biology (1992) |
Postdoctoral Advisees
Vardhan Dani, Simon Hippenmeyer, Kazunari Miyamichi, Bosiljka Tasic, Xiaomeng Yu
Graduate & Fellowship Program Affiliations
Web Site Links
Scientific Focus
Research Interests
We use molecular genetics to study the logic of neural circuit organization and assembly. Much of our current knowledge of neuronal structure, connectivity and development derives from Ramon y Cajal’s classic studies a century ago. He used the Golgi staining method, which randomly labels a small number of individual neurons in their entirety unobscured by the mass of other brain connections. We developed a modern genetic analog of Golgi staining, Mosaic Analysis with a Repressible Cell Marker (MARCM), that has allowed us to label small groups or isolated single neurons in the Drosophila brain. With MARCM we can also genetically manipulate only these labeled neurons, such as deleting a gene of interest to assess its function in the assembly of neural circuits. We have used MARCM to study the morphological development of individual neurons and the formation of specific connections between neurons.
The first steps in the assembly of functional neural circuits are for individual neurons to send axons and dendrites that eventually form specific connections with their targets. Our previous studies have shown that Rho GTPases, acting as intracellular molecular switches that transduce extracellular signals to regulate the actin cytoskeleton, play important roles in many aspects of morphological development of neurons and in structural plasticity in adults. We now focus on studying axon and dendrite pruning during development. Using candidate gene and forward genetic screening, we are studying the cell biological machinery that executes the pruning process and the regulation of such machinery. We have also provided evidence that similar machinery might be used in degeneration of axons in response to injury and disease.
Another focus in the lab is to study the logic that governs the assembly of individual neurons into functional circuits, using the Drosophila olfactory system as a model. As in mammals, Drosophila olfactory sensory neurons that express...
Publications
- Uncoupling dendrite growth and patterning: single-cell knockout analysis of NMDA receptor 2B. Neuron. 2009; (2): 205-17
- Graded expression of semaphorin-1a cell-autonomously directs dendritic targeting of olfactory projection neurons. Cell. 2007; (2): 399-410
- Comprehensive maps of Drosophila higher olfactory centers: spatially segregated fruit and pheromone representation. Cell. 2007; (6): 1187-203
- Temporal target restriction of olfactory receptor neurons by Semaphorin-1a/PlexinA-mediated axon-axon interactions. Neuron. 2007; (2): 185-200
- Mosaic analysis with double markers in mice. Cell. 2005; (3): 479-92
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