| Associate Professor Department of Biological Sciences University at Albany State University of New York 1400 Washington Avenue Albany, NY 12222
Office: Biology B31 |  |
| Associate Professor Department of Biological Sciences University at Albany State University of New York 1400 Washington Avenue Albany, NY 12222
Office: Biology B31 | |
| Research Interests:
|  Large pear-shaped neuron of the optic tectum of X. laevis |
In my laboratory we use the tools of modern molecular and cell biology to study axonal development. Neurofilaments are one of the principal components of the axonal cytoskeleton, and their molecular composition changes during axonal development. We hypothesize that these changes influence the structural properties of growing axons, and help them to accomodate the varying requirements for plasticity and stability that arise during development. To explore this hypothesis, we study the neurofilaments of axons in the frog, Xenopus laevis.
 Xenopus laevis |
 Electron micrograph of X. laevis optic axon. nf, neurofilaments; mt, microtubules; mf, microfilaments |
Frog optic axons, unlike those of mammals, successfully regenerate fully functional connections following nerve injury. We have shown that the neurofilament composition of these injured axons resembles that of newly developing ones. Moreover, we discovered that these regenerating axons modulate their neurofilament compositions in response to cues emanating from other cells along the visual pathway. We believe that studying what regulates neurofilament protein expression may provide clues to the riddle of why axons vary in their ability to regenerate.
We also study how changes in axonal neurofilament composition influence axonal growth and development. We alter the neurofilaments of developing axons by injecting antibodies and mRNA molecules into frog embryos. These mRNAs encode either normal or mutated frog neurofilament proteins. The axons altered by these procedures are then studied in the intact frog embryo and in tissue culture.
 Tadpole that was injected at the 2-cell stage with Beta-galactosidase mRNA |
 Cultured neuron and muscle cell expressing Green Fluorescent Protein |
Szaro, B.G., Pant, H.C., Way, J., and Battey, J. (1991) Squid low molecular weight neurofilament proteins are a novel class of neurofilament protein: a nuclear lamin like core and multiple distinct proteins formed by alternative RNA processing. J. Biol. Chem. 266:15035-15041.
Charnas, L.R., Szaro, B.G., and Gainer, H. (1992) Identification and developmental expression of a novel low molecular weight neuronal intermediate filament protein expressed in Xenopus laevis. J. Neurosci. 12:3010-3024.
Way, J., Hellmich, M.R., Jaffe, H., Szaro, B., Pant, H.C., Gainer, H., and Battey, J. (1992) A High molecular weight squid neurofilament protein contains a lamin-like rod domain and a tail domain with Lys-Ser-Pro repeats. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., U.S.A. 89:6963-6967.
Zhao, Y. and Szaro, B.G. (1994) The return of phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated epitopes of neurofilament proteins to the regenerating optic nerve of Xenopus laevis. J. Comp. Neurol. 343:158-172.
Lin, W. and Szaro, B.G. (1994) Maturation of neurites in mixed cultures of spinal cord neurons and muscle cells from Xenopus laevis embryos followed with antibodies to neurofilament proteins. J. Neurobiol. 25:1235-1248.
Zhao, Y. and Szaro, B.G. (1995) Pathway selection and target removal influence the neurofilament compositions of regenerating optic axons in Xenopus laevis. J. Neurosci. 15:4629-4640.
Gervasi, C. and Szaro, B.G. (1995) The Xenopus laevis homologue to the neuronal cyclin dependent kinase (cdk5) is expressed by gastrulation. Mol. Brain Res. 33:192-200
Lin, W. and Szaro, B.G. (1995) Neurofilaments help maintain normal morphologies and support elongation of neurites in Xenopus laevis cultured embryonic spinal cord neurons. J. Neurosci. 15:8331-8344.
Lin, W. and Szaro, B.G. (1996) Effects of intermediate filament disruption on the early development of the peripheral nervous system of Xenopus laevis. Dev. Bio. 179:197-211.
Jian, X., Szaro, B.G. and Schmidt, J.T. (1996) Myosin light chain kinase: expression in neurons and upregulation during axon regeneration. J. Neurobiol. 31:379-391.
Zhao, Y. and Szaro, B.G. (1997) Xefiltin, a new low molecular weight neuronal intermediate filament protein of Xenopus laevis, shares sequence features with goldfish gefiltin and mammalian alpha-internexin and differs in expression from XNIF and NF-L. J. Comp. Neurol. 377:351-364.
Gervasi, C. and Szaro, B.G. (1997) Sequence and expression patterns of two forms of the middle molecular weight neurofilament protein (NF-M) of Xenopus laevis. Mol. Brain Res. 48:229-242.
Zhao, Y. and Szaro, B.G.(1997) Xefiltin, a Xenopus laevis neuronal intermediate filament protein, is expressed in actively growing optic axons during regeneration and development. J. Neurobiol. 33:811-824.
Dearborn, R.E. Jr., Szaro, B.G. and Lnenicka, G.A. (1998) Microinjection of mRNA encoding rat synapsin Ia alters synaptic physiology in identified motoneurons of the crayfish, Procambarus clarkii. J. Neurobiol. 37:224-236.
Link to NIH Crisp Index for abstract of NIH grant.
University at Albany Biology Dept Home Page