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Neurogenetics, Development and Evolution
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MARCIA G. HONIG, Ph.D.
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Education
Research InterestsMy laboratory investigates how axons choose the correct pathways to grow along during development. We use the chick embryo as a model system because its accessibility allows us to perform experimental manipulations at virtually any point during embryonic development. Our work focuses on sensory neurons innervating the hindlimb and has shown that sensory neurons whose axons project along different peripheral nerves are different from one another at very early stages, before they make specific pathfinding decisions. Further, sensory axons respond to specific cues on one another and in the environment as they extend into the limb and grow to their appropriate targets. Our recent surgical manipulations have shown that the initial formation of a major cutaneous nerve in the embryonic chick limb requires the presence of the target ectoderm during a critical time period when those axons are about to diverge from the hindlimb plexus. We subsequently demonstrated that BMP4, which is expressed in a discrete region of the limb, promotes cutaneous nerve formation. Current work in the lab is primarily aimed at determining how BMP4 signals sensory axons (i.e. directly or indirectly), and elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying BMP4 action. To do this, we are employing a loss of function approach, in which shRNA constructs are transfected into cells, subsequently leading to the downregulation of the protein(s) of interest, focusing initially on the major receptors for BMP4. In addition to a variety of molecular biological techniques, work in the lab involves the use of multiple labeling approaches (retrograde labeling, immunofluorescence, in situ hybridization), in conjunction with confocal laser scanning microscopy. Recent Publications
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