Isabella Graef

Postdoctoral Advisees

Ah Ryon Cho , Suhua Deng , Alexandra Esteras Chopo , Lining Liu , Yitai Tang

Graduate & Fellowship Program Affiliations

• Cancer Biology
• Neurosciences

Web Site Links

• Graef Lab Homepage

Research Interests

We are interested in addressing questions in neuronal development and function by a combination of genetic, cell biological, biochemical and chemical approaches.
The main focus of our lab is centered around two topics: 1) the interface of signaling and gene regulation in neuronal development, with a focus on calcineurin-NFAT signaling; 2) the development of small molecules, which interfere with pathogenic protein-protein interactions underlying neurodegenerative diseases.

Publications

• An essential switch in subunit composition of a chromatin remodeling complex during neural development. Lessard J, Wu JI, Ranish JA, Wan M, Winslow MM, Staahl BT, Wu H, Aebersold R, Graef IA, Crabtree GR. Neuron. 2007; 55 (2): 201-15
• NFAT signaling and the invention of vertebrates. Wu H, Peisley A, Graef IA, Crabtree GR. Trends Cell Biol. 2007; 17 (6): 251-60
• NFAT dysregulation by increased dosage of DSCR1 and DYRK1A on chromosome 21 Arron*, Winslow*, Polleri*, (*equally contributing, #corresponding authors), Chang, Wu, Gao, Neilson, Chen, Heit, Kim, Yamasaki, Miyakawa, Francke, Graef*#, Crabtree#. Nature. 2006; 441 (June 1): 595-600
• Harnessing chaperones to generate small-molecule inhibitors of amyloid beta aggregation. Gestwicki JE, Crabtree GR, Graef IA. Science. 2004; 306 (5697): 865-9
• Neurotrophins and netrins require calcineurin/NFAT signaling to stimulate outgrowth of embryonic axons. Graef IA, Wang F, Charron F, Chen L, Neilson J, Tessier-Lavigne M, Crabtree GR. Cell. 2003; 113 (5): 657-70