Klinik für Neurologie
Promotionsstipendien II/2018
Thema: "Role of cyclin D2 for ongoing neurogenesis in the adult mouse hippocampus"
Inhalt:
Adult neurogenesis is a multi-stage process in which new neurons are generated from activated neural stem cells via increasingly committed progenitors. It involves proliferation and differentiation and, as such, is fundamentally linked to the cell cycle. Moreover, it is a highly dynamic process tightly regulated by a complex interplay of intrinsic and extrinsic signals, providing a mechanism through which the brain can adapt to changing cognitive demands. Disturbances of neurogenesis, either pathologically or by natural aging, have been linked to cognitive impairments and neurological disorders. Previously, we discovered that a knockout of the cell cycle regulator cyclin D2 causes a loss of adult stem cells and adult-born neurons, suggesting a requirement of cyclin D2 for adult neurogenesis. More recent evidence indicated that these phenotypes result from combined developmental and adult effects of the knockout. This inspired us to develop a floxed D2 mouse for spatiotemporally controlled ablation of D2. By applying these mice in in vivo and in vitro experiments, my project aims at defining the role of cyclin D2 in adult hippocampal neurogenesis with particular focus on unveiling its specific functions in distinct neural precursor cells.