Download Runx1t1- Exploring its role as a transcriptional regulator in the

Runx1t1- Exploring its role as a transcriptional regulator in the dorsal
root ganglion neuron specification
Aditya Harisankar
One of the most complex issues in developmental neurobiology is to understand how
diversity in the nervous system is created. A classic model system in which to address this
question is the peripheral nervous system. Sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglion are
located along the spinal cord; they derive during development from common progenitor cells
which differentiate into many types of neurons that are mediating sensory information (touch,
pain, heat, cold, and proprioception) from the body to the central nervous system. This
differentiation process is orchestrated by specific molecular factors. Recent work from the
laboratory identified the expression of Runx1t1 – a factor that regulates gene expression – in
the dorsal root ganglion during embryonic development. In this project, I am trying to
identify when exactly and in which type of neurons Runx1t1is expressed in the developing
dorsal root ganglion. My results show that the expression of Runx1t1 is very strong during
embryonic development, at a time when different types of neurons are being specified. In the
future, we are planning to understand the function of Runx1t1in specifying different types of
sensory neurons and in the physiology of the sensory system in general. Together with
providing new insights into the sensory system field, these studies will also help contributing
to new knowledge in understanding the process of neuronal development.
P
Degree project E 45hp, 1BG355
Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics,
Karolinska Institute, Stockholm
Supervisor: Asst. Prof.Dr. Francois Lallemend