NIH Reporter #5R01NS123439-05

IgSF protein interactions drive specificity in circuit wiring and synaptic elaboration

The project investigates molecular mechanisms of neural circuit development focusing on IgSF protein interactions in Drosophila, with implications for human neurological disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.

Description

This study will uncover fundamental molecular mechanisms that regulate neural circuit development through interactions between cell surface proteins. Although our work is conducted in Drosophila, there is a subfamily of human proteins that corresponds to the Dprs and DIPs, called the IgLONs, which are important for neural circuit formation and have been linked to autism, schizophrenia, and dyslexia. By establishing how these proteins instruct precise neural circuit development, our work will build a foundation for clinical approaches to treat these debilitating diseases.

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