Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy

Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy

Nadean Brown, Ph.D.

Paul Knoepfler

Associate Professor
4407A Tupper Hall,
Davis Campus
(530) 752-7806
e-mail


Recent/Current
Research Funding

National Institute of Health

Graduate Group Affiliations

Genetics

Biochemistry, Molecular,
Cellular and
Developmental Biology

Research Interests

My research group aims to understand the molecular mechanisms regulating the formation of the mammalian lens and retina. We use mouse models to investigate the genetic pathways underlying lens and retinal tissue formation during embryogenesis. This research will contribute to a better understanding of congenital eye diseases and ultimately inform stem cell therapies to correct vision loss. Currently we are focused on understanding: 1) how lens progenitor cells stop dividing and turn into fiber cells, and 2) how retinal progenitor cells choose to become one type of neuron, although multiple fates are available to them.

For more information, visit the Brown Laboratory website. 

Representative Publications

2013  Hufnagel, R.B., A.N. Riesenberg, J.A. Brzezinski IV, M. Quinn, T. Glaser and N.L. Brown, Heterochronic misexpression of Ascl1 in the Atoh7 retinal cell lineage blocks cell cycle exit. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience: In Press

2013  Hufnagel, R.B. and N.L. Brown. “Specification of Retinal Cell Types” in Comprehensive Developmental Neuroscience; Editors, John Rubenstein and Pasko Rakic. Oxford: Elsevier: In Press.

2012  Saravanamuthu, S.S., T.T. Le, C.Y. Gao, C. Liu, C. Radu, P. Pandiyan, J. Zhang, P.S. Zelenka and N.L. Brown. Conditional ablation of the Notch2 receptor in the ocular lens. Developmental Biology 362: 219-29.

2012  Le, T.T., K. Conley, T.J. Mead, S. Rowan, K.E. Yutzey and N.L. Brown. Requirements for Jag1-Rbpj mediated Notch signaling during mouse lens vesicle development. Developmental Dynamics 241: 493-504

2011  Charlton-Perkins, M., N.L. Brown, and T.A. Cook. The Lens in Focus: A Comparison of Lens Development in Drosophila and Vertebrates. Molecular Genetics & Genomics 286: 189-213.

2010  Prasov, L, Brown, NL and Glaser, T. A critical analysis of Atoh7 (Math5) splicing in the developing mouse retina. PLoS One. Aug 5(8):e12315.

2010  Macgregor S, Hewitt AW, Hysi PG, Ruddle JB,Medland SE, Henders AK, Gordon SD, Andrew T, McEvoy B, Sanfilippo PG, Carbonaro F, Tah V, Li YJ, Bennett SL, Craig JE, Montgomery GW, Tran-Viet KN, Brown NL, Spector TD, Martin NG, Young TL, Hammond CJ, Mackey DA. Genome-wide association identifies ATOH7 as a major gene determining human optic nerve size. Human Molecular Genetics. 340: 490-503.

2010  Hufnagel RB, Le TT, Riesenberg AL, Brown NL. Neurog2 controls the leading edge of neurogenesis in the mammalian retina. Developmental Biology 340: 490-503.

2009  Riesenberg AN, Liu Z, Kopan R, Brown NL. Rbpj cell autonomous regulation of retinal ganglion cell and cone photoreceptor fates in the mouse retina. Journal of Neuroscience 29: 12865-77.

2009  Riesenberg AN, Le TT, Willardsen MI, Blackburn DC, Vetter ML, Brown NL. Pax6 regulation of Math5 during mouse retinal neurogenesis. Genesis 47:175-187.

2009  Le TT, Conley K, Brown NL. Jagged1 is necessary for normal mouse lens development. Developmental Biology 328:118-126.

2009  Willardsen MI, Suli A, Pan Y, Marsh-Armstrong N, El-Hodiri H, Chen CB, Moore KB, Brown NL, Vetter ML. Temporal regulation of Ath5 gene expression during eye development. Developmental Biology 326:471-481.

2009  Fuhrmann S, Riesenberg AN, Mathiesen AM, Brown EC, Vetter ML, Brown NL. Characterization of a transient TCF/LEF-responsive progenitor population in the embryonic mouse retina. Invest Ophth Vis Sci. 50:432-440.

2008  Rowan S, Conley K, Le TT, Donner AL, Maas RL, Brown, NL. Notch signaling is required for mouse lens growth and differentiation. Developmental Biology. 321:111-122.

2008  Blackburn DC*, Conley K*, Plachetzki D, Kempler K, Battelle BA, Brown NL. Isolation and expression of Pax6 and atonal homologues in the American Horseshoe Crab, Limulus polyphemus. Developmental Dynamics 237:2209-2219.

2007  Hufnagel RB, Riesenberg AN, Saul SM, Brown NL. Conserved regulation between Math5 and Math1 as revealed by Math5-GFP transgenes. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience 36:435-488.

 

Recent/Current Teaching

CHA 402, Cell and Tissue Biology