Anne E. Chiaramello, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Anatomy and Regenerative Biology

Address The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences 2300 I Street NW, Ross Hall 425 Washington, DC 20037 Tel: 202-994-2173 Fax: 202-994-8885 Email: anaaec@gwumc.edu

Background

B.S. equivalent (1983) University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis
M.S. in Molecular Biology (1986) San Diego State University
Ph.D. in Biology (1990) University of San Diego, California
Postdoctoral Fellow (1994) Colorado State University

Professional Activities

Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Neuroscience Research
Member of the GW Institute for Biomedical Sciences Graduate Programs in Molecular Medicine; and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics; Laboratory Rotations Director (BMSC 215) for first year GWU and GWU-NIH graduate students
Member of the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Group
Member of the Society for Neuroscience

Research Interests

Our goal is to decipher the architecture of transcriptional regulatory networks linking neuronal differentiation, survival, and regeneration. The main objective is to apply our findings for regenerative medicine of the CNS, using gene and/or cell replacement therapies. Our present strategy focuses on dissecting the transcriptional network mediated by the neurogenic basic-helix-loop-Helix (bHLH) transcription factor NeuroD6 (formerly known as Math-2/Nex-1), which belongs to the NeuroD family, known to execute the final steps of neuronal specification, differentiation, and synaptogenesis during embryonic and postnatal neurogenesis.

Current Research Projects

NeuroD6 operates downstream of the proneural gene Neurogenin2 during the early steps of corticogenesis to simultaneously promote cell cycle exit and commitment of neuronal progenitor cells toward a glutamatergic pyramidal fate. Its expression levels peak during the first postnatal week, when neurite outgrowth and synaptogenesis are highly active. In the adult brain, NeuroD6 expression is linked with higher brain functions, such as learning and memory formation and sustained in mature neocortical neurons, pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus, subiculum, and entorhinal cortex. Our recent studies have shown that NeuroD6 not only behaves a key regulator of the neuronal differentiation and cell cycle arrest programs, but also endows neuronal cells with neuroprotective properties by activating a specific anti-apoptotic program. Considering the recent observation of abortive re-entry by dying neurons in several neurodegenerative diseases may represent an additional mechanism of neuronal apoptosis, the combined differentiation and survival properties of NeuroD6 may be critical to regenerative strategies to benefit specific CNS disorders and injuries. Thus, our objective is to gain insight into:

1. Functional genomics of mammalian neuronal differentiation and regeneration
2. Transcriptional networks leading to neural survival
3. Genetic engineering of mouse embryonic stem cells to promote neural fate

This work is supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS, NIH).

Collaborative Studies

Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Group: with Dr. Robert Hawley, Professor and Chair, Department of Anatomy and Regenerative Biology

Catherine Birch McCormick Genomics Center: with Dr. Tim McCaffrey, Professor and Vice-Chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

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Selected Publications

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