Dritan Agalliu PhD

Professional Education

• Doctor of Philosophy, Columbia University (2006)
• B.S., University of Minnesota Genetics and Cell Biology (1998)

Faculty Advisor

• Ben Barres

Research Interests

I am interested in understanding the signaling pathways that regulate the development of specialized tight junctions in brain endothelial cells responsible for forming the blood-brain barrier. The identification of these signals is important for elucidating the mechanisms that regulate the entry of distinct compounds or drugs into the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the etiology of pathological CNS conditions associated with blood-brain barrier breakdown.

Publications

• Myelin gene regulatory factor is a critical transcriptional regulator required for CNS myelination. Emery B,  Agalliu D, Cahoy JD, Watkins TA, Dugas JC, Mulinyawe SB, Ibrahim A, Ligon KL, Rowitch DH, Barres BA.  Cell.  2009; 138 (1): 172-85
• Heterogeneity in the developmental potential of motor neuron progenitors revealed by clonal analysis of single cells in vitro. Agalliu D,  Schieren I.  Neural Dev.  2009; 4 2
• Wnt/beta-catenin signaling is required for CNS, but not non-CNS, angiogenesis. Daneman R,  Agalliu D, Zhou L, Kuhnert F, Kuo CJ, Barres BA.  Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.  2009; 106 (2): 641-6
• Motor neurons with axial muscle projections specified by Wnt4/5 signaling. Agalliu D,  Takada S, Agalliu I, McMahon AP, Jessell TM.  Neuron.  2009; 61 (5): 708-20
• Wnt5a signaling induces proliferation and survival of endothelial cells in vitro and expression of MMP-1 and Tie-2. Masckauchán TN,  Agalliu D, Vorontchikhina M, Ahn A, Parmalee NL, Li CM, Khoo A, Tycko B, Brown AM, Kitajewski J.  Mol Biol Cell.  2006; 17 (12): 5163-72
• A Cxcl12-CXCR4 chemokine signaling pathway defines the initial trajectory of mammalian motor axons. Lieberam I,  Agalliu D, Nagasawa T, Ericson J, Jessell TM.  Neuron.  2005; 47 (5): 667-79
• RecA-mediated, targeted mutagenesis in zebrafish. Cui Z,  Yang Y, Kaufman CD, Agalliu D, Hackett PB.  Mar Biotechnol (NY).  2003 Mar-Apr; 5 (2): 174-84
• Position-independent expression of transgenes in zebrafish. Caldovic L,  Agalliu D, Hackett PB.  Transgenic Res.  1999; 8 (5): 321-34