Dr Michael Coleman
University position
Group Leader at Babraham Institute
Dr Michael Coleman is pleased to consider applications from prospective PhD students.
Institutes
Home page
http://www.babraham.ac.uk/researc... (personal home page)
Research Theme
Interests
My group studies the molecular and cellular basis of axon degeneration, its role in disease and how it is regulated. We identified the slow Wallerian degeneration (WldS) gene that has the unique property of delaying injury induced axon degeneration by 2-3 weeks. The same gene delays axon degeneration in several, but not all, neurodegenerative disorders, particularly those where axonal transport is blocked. Our current studies focus on understanding the neuroprotective mechanism of the WldS protein, and through this understanding the mechanism of Wallerian degeneration, what triggers similar processes in disease, and how this knowledge may be used to develop therapies for axonal disorders. We are also using WldS along with mouse genetic tools for imaging axons longitudinally and imaging axonal transport to understand the contributions of axon degeneration in a range of disorders.
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Research Focus
Keywordsaxon degeneration Wallerian degeneration axonal spheroid axonal transport Alzheimer's disease |
Clinical conditionsAlzheimer's disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Dementia Diabetes Glaucoma Huntington's disease Multiple sclerosis Parkinson's disease Prion diseases Stroke Traumatic brain injury |
Equipment
Calcium imaging
Cell culture
Confocal microscopy
Fluorescence microscopy
Immunohistochemistry
Microscopy
Mouse genetics
Protein purification
Recombinant protein expression
Collaborators
Cambridge |
Key publications
Adalbert R, Nogradi A, Babetto E, Janeckova L, Walker SA, Kerschensteiner M, Misgeld T, Coleman MP (2009), “Severely dystrophic axons at amyloid plaques remain continuous and connected to viable cell bodies.” Brain 132(Pt 2):402-16 Details
Beirowski B, Babetto E, Gilley J, Mazzola F, Conforti L, Janeckova L, Magni G, Ribchester RR, Coleman MP (2009), “Non-nuclear Wld(S) determines its neuroprotective efficacy for axons and synapses in vivo.” J Neurosci 29(3):653-68 Details
Conforti L, Wilbrey A, Morreale G, Janeckova L, Beirowski B, Adalbert R, Mazzola F, Di Stefano M, Hartley R, Babetto E, Smith T, Gilley J, Billington RA, Genazzani AA, Ribchester RR, Magni G, Coleman M (2009), “Wld S protein requires Nmnat activity and a short N-terminal sequence to protect axons in mice.” J Cell Biol 184(4):491-500 Details