Albee Messing

 

 

Developmental Neurogenetics and Neuropathology of the Mouse

E-mail: messing@waisman.wisc.edu

Research Strengths: Molecular Neuroscience, Neurobiology of Disease

Research in my laboratory is directed at understanding developmental and pathologic aspects of neuronal and glial cell biology in the nervous system of the mouse, and genetic analysis of a human disorder of astrocytes, Alexander disease. Our main strategies involve genetic manipulation of glial gene expression using transgenic techniques, and gene targeting in embryonic stem cells to generate mutant strains of mice. Most of our effort is directed at the following projects: 1) the molecular and cell biology of intermediate filaments, particularly glial fibrillary acidic protein, in astrocyte development and reaction to injury in the central nervous system, and in Alexander disease, and 2) generation and characterization of mice that are mutated for several types of potassium channel subunits.

Selected Publications:

• Quinlan, R.A., M. Brenner, J. Goldman, and A. Messing. 2007. GFAP and its role in Alexander disease. Experimental Cell Research 313: 2077-2087. [PDF]
• Hagemann, T.L., J.X. Connor, and A. Messing. 2006. Alexander disease-associated GFAP mutations in mice induce Rosenthal fiber formation and a white matter stress response. Journal of Neuroscience 26: 11162-11173. [PDF]
• Zhu, Y., F. Guignard, D. Zhao, L. Liu, D.K. Burns, R.P. Mason, A. Messing, and L.P. Parada. 2005. Early inacativation of p53 tumor suppressor gene cooperating with NF1 loss induces malignant astrocytoma. Cancer Cell 8: 119-130. [PDF]
• Li, R., A.B. Johnson, G. Salomons, J.E. Goldman, S. Naidu, R. Quinlan, B. Cree, S.Z. Ruyle, B. Banwell, M. D'Hooghe, J.R. Siebert, C.M. Rolf, H. Cox, A. Reddy, L.G. Gutierrez-Solana, A. Collins, R.O. Weller, A. Messing, M.S. Van Der Knaap, and M. Brenner. 2005. Glial fibrillary acidic protein mutations in infantile, juvenile, and adult forms of Alexander disease. Annals of Neurology 57: 310-326.
• Hagemann, T. L., S.A. Gaeta, M.A. Smith, D.A. Johnson, J.A. Johnson, and A. Messing. 2005. Gene expression analysis in mice with elevated glial fibrillary acidic protein and Rosenthal fibers reveals a stress response followed by glial activation and neuronal dysfunction. Human Molecular Genetics 14: 2443-2458. [PDF]
• Chiu, S.Y., L. Zhou, C.L. Zhang, and A. Messing. 2001. Analysis of potassium channel functions in mammalian axons by gene knockouts. J. Neurocytol. 28: 349-364.
• Brenner, M., A.B. Johnson, O. Boespflug-Tanguy, D. Rodriguez, J.E. Goldman, and A. Messing. 2001. Mutations in GFAP, encoding glial fibrillary acidic protein, are associated with Alexander disease. Nat. Genet. 27: 117-120. [PDF]
• Messing, A., M.W. Head, K. Galles, E.J. Galbreath, J.E. Goldman, and M. Brenner. 1998. Fatal encephalopathy with astrocyte inclusions in GFAP transgenic mice. Am. J. Pathol. 152: 391-398. [PDF]