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Steven C. McLoon, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Neuroscience
E-mail: mcloons@umn.edu |
Research Interests:
The primary aim of research in the McLoon laboratory is to understand
the cellular mechanisms responsible for development of the vertebrate
nervous system with an emphasis on the visual system. The projects
currently underway in the laboratory have three main focuses. First
is to identify the mechanisms responsible for determination of cell
fate in the developing retina. The aim of current work is to understand
how the competence of progenitor cells changes during development
so as to allow the initial onset of cell differentiation and later
the termination of production of specific cell types (e.g. Silva
et al., 2002 & 2003). The second area of work is to understand
how the pattern of axonal connections develops between the retina
in the eye and the central visual centers in the brain. This process
has two steps. In the first step, retinal ganglion cells form a
rough pattern of connections, which appears to be guided by certain
molecules that encode position in the retina and brain. The second
step involves refinement of the pattern of connections, such that
aberrant connections are corrected or the cells giving rise to these
connections are eliminated. The laboratory is working to identify
the mechanisms involved in both steps of this process (e.g. Wu et
al., 2001 and Jurney et al., 2002). The third area of work is new
to the laboratory. Stem cells are being used in an effort to replace
certain cell types in the retina as a potential clinical therapy
for the most common types of blindness. Stem cells are being coaxed
to recapitulate aspects of normal retinal development by treatment
of the cells with certain factors and by introducing certain genes
to the cells.
Most Cited Publications:
(For a comprehensive list of recent publications, refer to PubMed, a service provided by the National Library of Medicine.)
Wu, H.H., D.Selski, E. El-Fakahany and S.C. McLoon. 2001. The
role of nitric oxide in development of the topographic precision
in the retinotectal projection of chick. J. Neurosci. 21:4318-4325.
Jurney W.M., G.Gallo, P.C. Letourneau and S.C. McLoon. 2002. Rac1
mediated endocytosis during Ephrin-A2 and Semaphorin 3A-induced
growth cone collapse. J. Neurosci. 22:6019-6028.
Silva, A.O., C.E. Ercole and S.C. McLoon. 2002. Plane of cell cleavage
and Numb distribution during cell division relative to cell differentiation
in the developing retina. J. Neurosci. 22:7518-7525.
Silva, A.O., C.E. Ercole and S.C. McLoon. 2003. Regulation of ganglion
cell production by Notch signaling during retinal development. J.
Neurobiol. 54:511-524.
Former Graduate Students:
Alan Ernst (Ph.D. 2001, Neuroscience,
University of Minnesota).
William Jurney (Ph.D. 2001, Neuroscience,
University of Minnesota).
Amila Silva (Ph.D. 1999, Neuroscience,
University of Minnesota).
David Waid (Ph.D. 1997, Neuroscience,
University of Minnesota).
Cheri Williams (Ph.D. 1992,
Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).
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