Research

Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology
Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute
Carlos F. Ibáñez, Professor

Growth Factor Receptor Signaling and Biology in
Nervous System Development and Metabolic Regulation

With a focus on growth factor receptor signaling, we investigate different aspects of nervous system development and metabolic regulation. Currently, our studies center on three different ligand/receptor systems:

p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75^NTR) and neurotrophin family ligands

GFRa1, Ret and NCAM receptors and GDNF family ligands

TGF-beta superfamily receptors ALK7 and ALK4 and their ligands Activins and GDFs

Using these signaling systems as entry points, our goal is to discover novel, general biological principles of broad importance for nervous system development and metabolic functions.

Current topics of investigation include:

Mechanism of p75^NTR activation (see Vilar et al, Neuron 2009)

Generation and functional characterization of p75^NTR signaling mutants (see Vilar et al, J. Cell Sci. 2009)

Genetic approaches to elucidate p75^NTR signaling functions in mutant mice

Regulation of stem cell renewal and differentiation by the p75^NTR interactor Bex1 (see Vilar et al, EMBO J 2006)

GDNF family receptor signaling mechanisms in space and time

Role of GDNF family signaling in the development of the mammalian olfactory system

Development and differentiation of cortical GABAergic interneurons (see Pozas et al, Neuron 2005 and Canty et al, J. Neurosci. 2009)

Formation of neuronal synapses by ligand-induced cell adhesion (see Ledda et al, Nat. Neurosci. 2007)

Activin signaling in pancreatic beta-cell function and insulin release (see Bertolino et al, PNAS 2008)

Mechanisms of GDF-3 function as a novel adipokine (see Andersson et al, PNAS 2008)

ALK7 signaling and function in the hypothalamic-pituitary axis

A chemical-genetic approach to study ALK7 signaling in metabolic regulation

Click HERE for a complete list of publications

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