Publications by authors named "Tijana Copf"

Axonal extension and synaptic targeting are usually completed during early development, but the axonal length and synaptic integrity need to be actively maintained during later developmental stages and the adult life. Failure in the axonal length maintenance and the subsequent axonal degeneration have been associated with neurological disorders, but currently little is known about the genetic factors controlling this process. Here, we show that regulated intracellular levels of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) are critical for the axon maintenance during the transition from the early to the later larval stages in the Drosophila class IV dendritic arborization (da) sensory neurons.

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Dendrite morphology is pivotal for neural circuitry functioning. While the causative relationship between small-scale dendrite morphological abnormalities (shape, density of dendritic spines) and neurodevelopmental disorders is well established, such relationship remains elusive for larger-scale dendrite morphological impairments (size, shape, branching pattern of dendritic trees). Here, we summarize published data on dendrite morphological irregularities in human patients and animal models for neurodevelopmental disorders, with focus on autism and schizophrenia.

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Proper dendrite morphology is crucial for normal nervous system functioning. While a number of genes have been implicated in dendrite morphogenesis in both invertebrates and mammals, it remains unclear how developing dendrites respond to changes in gene dosage and what type of patterns their responses may follow. To understand this, I review here evidence from the recent literature, focusing on the genetic studies performed in the Drosophila larval dendritic arborization class IV neuron, an excellent cell type to understand dendrite morphogenesis.

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Dendrites develop morphologies characterized by multiple levels of complexity that involve neuron type specific dendritic length and particular spatial distribution. How this is developmentally regulated and in particular which signaling molecules are crucial in the process is still not understood. Using Drosophila class IV dendritic arborization (da) neurons we test in vivo the effects of cell-autonomous dose-dependent changes in the activity levels of the cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase A (PKA) on the formation of complex dendritic arbors.

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Cytokine signaling through the JAK/STAT pathway regulates multiple cellular responses, including cell survival, differentiation, and motility. Although significant attention has been focused on the role of cytokines during inflammation and immunity, it has become clear that they are also implicated in normal brain function. However, because of the large number of different genes encoding cytokines and their receptors in mammals, the precise role of cytokines in brain physiology has been difficult to decipher.

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Hox genes play a central role in the specification of distinct segmental identities in the body of arthropods. The specificity of Hox genes depends on their restricted expression domains, their interaction with specific cofactors and selectivity for particular target genes. spalt genes are associated with the function of Hox genes in diverse species, but the nature of this association varies: in some cases, spalt collaborates with Hox genes to specify segmental identities, in others, it regulates Hox gene expression or acts as their target.

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Comparative studies have shown that some aspects of segmentation are widely conserved among arthropods. Yet, it is still unclear whether the molecular prepatterns that are required for segmentation in Drosophila are likely to be similarly conserved in other arthropod groups. Homologues of the Drosophila gap genes, like hunchback, show regionally restricted expression patterns during the early phases of segmentation in diverse insects, but their expression patterns in other arthropod groups are not yet known.

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caudal (cad/Cdx) genes are essential for the formation of posterior structures in Drosophila, Caenorhabditis elegans, and vertebrates. In contrast to Drosophila, the majority of arthropods generate their segments sequentially from a posteriorly located growth zone, a process known as short-germ development. caudal homologues are expressed in the growth zone of diverse short-germ arthropods, but until now their functional role in these animals had not been studied.

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All arthropods share the same basic set of Hox genes, although the expression of these genes differs among divergent groups. In the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana, their expression is limited to the head, thoracic/trunk and genital segments, but is excluded from more posterior parts of the body which consist of six post-genital segments and the telson (bearing the anus). Nothing is currently known about the genes that specify the identity of these posterior structures.

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