Specialties
Michael J. Ferns, Ph.D.
Clinical/Research InterestsDr. Ferns is conducting research on synapse formation, investigating the functional membrane-to-membrane contact between nerve cells. |
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Title: |
Adjunct Associate Professor |
Education: |
University of Western Australia Perth, Crawley Western Australia Ph.D. 1988 |
Education: |
University of Otago Dunnedin New Zealand B.Sc. 1983 |
Select Recent Publications: |
Kumar P, Ferns MJ, Meizel S. Identification of agrinSN isoform and muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinase in sperm. Biochem and Biophys Res Comm, 342:522-528. Gingras J, Spicer J, Altares M, Zhu Q, Kuchel GA, Ferns M. Agrin becomes concentrated at neuroeffector junctions in developing rodent urinary bladder. Cell and Tissue Research, 320:115-125. Moransard M, Borges LS, Willmann R, Marangi PA, Brenner HR, Ferns MJ, Fuhrer C. Agrin regulates rapsyn interaction with surface acetylcholine receptors, and this underlies cytoskeletal anchoring and clustering. J Biol Chem, 278(9):7350-9. Borges LS, Lee Y, Ferns M. Dual role for calcium in agrin signaling and acetylcholine receptor clustering. J Neurobiol, 50(1):69-79. Gingras J, Rassadi S, Cooper E, Ferns M. Agrin plays an organizing role in the formation of sympathetic synapses. J Cell Biol, 157(6):1109-1118. Borges LS , Ferns M. Agrin-induced phosphorylation of the acetylcholine receptor regulates cytoskeletal anchoring and clustering. J Cell Biol, 153(1):1-11. Gingras J, Ferns MJ. Expression and localization of agrin during sympathetic synapse formation in vitro. J Neurobiol, 48(3):228-242. Ferns M, Carbonetto S. Challenging the neurocentric view of neuromuscular synapse formation. Neuron, 30:311-314. Grow WA, Ferns M, Gordon H. Agrin-independent activation of the agrin signal transduction pathway. J Neurobiol, 40:356-365. Grow WA, Ferns M, Gordon H. A mechanism for acetylcholine receptor clustering distinct from agrin signaling. Dev Neurosci, 21:436-443. |