National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 5R01NS123439-05

IgSF protein interactions drive specificity in circuit wiring and synaptic elaboration

The award supports research on molecular mechanisms of neural circuit development focusing on IgSF protein interactions, with implications for neurodevelopmental disorders.

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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