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BAVARIAN RESEARCH ASSOCIATION INTERACTION OF HUMAN BRAIN CELLS
Analysis of neurites and chemical synapses in Parkinson patients derived iPS cells and neurons
Field of work:
Investigation of biological alterations and functional deficits in neural and glial cells
Human dopaminergic neuron
The connectome, including all connections and direct contacts between nerve cells, is anatomically divided into two major compartments: The axo-dendritic compartment forms connections between nerve cells and the interaction sites (chemical synapses) between different neurons regulate release and up-take of neurotransmitters. Both compartments are structurally impaired in early stages of sporadic Parkinson’s disease and will be characterized in PD (Parkinson’s disease) patient derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), derived neural precursor cells (iPSC-NPCs) and mature neurons. Especially, the pathogenesis within the axo-dendritic compartment and synapses by intrinsic disease-related mechanisms is of high interest for this project. The role of the PD-associated protein synuclein for the connectome will be analyzed in detail. Furthermore, exogenic stressors will be used for the characterization of pathological changes affecting the connectome. Besides high-definition light- and electron microscopy, viral-based applications will be used for visualization of axons and dendrites.
Project partners:
- Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg
- Technische Universtität München (TUM)
- Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich (LMU)
- Julius-Maximilians-University of Wuerzburg