Janghoo Lim PhD
Assistant Professor of Genetics
Research Interests
Mechanisms of neural development, neurological disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases
Research Summary
Neurological disorders affect millions of people worldwide, and health care costs related to treating these illnesses are enormous. They include a broad spectrum of brain problems such as birth defects, mental retardation, neuropsychiatric disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases.
The overall goal of my laboratory is to better understand the fundamental mechanisms of neural development and function, as well as its relevance to the pathogenesis of diverse human neurological disorders. The lab is focused on two major questions. First, how is neurogenesis regulated during embryonic and adult stages and how does it cause neurological problems when not functioning properly? Second, what is the molecular and cellular basis of neurodegenerative diseases?
To achieve this goal, we utilize the combined approaches of biochemistry, cell biology, behavior, and molecular genetics with in vivo animal (e.g. mouse) models.
Selected Publications
- Duvick, L., Barnes, J., Ebner, B., Agrawal, S., Andresen, M., Lim, J., Giesler, G.J., Zoghbi, H.Y., and Orr, H.T. (2010). SCA1-like disease in mice expressing wild-type Ataxin-1 with a Serine to Aspartic acid replacement at residue 776. Neuron 67, 929-935.
- Lim, J., Crespo-Barreto, J., Jafar-Nejad, P., Bowman, A.B., Richman, R., Hill, D.E., Orr, H.T., and Zoghbi, H.Y. (2008). Opposing effects of polyglutamine expansion on native protein complexes contribute to SCA1. Nature 452, 713-718.
- Lim, J., Hao, T., Shaw, C., Patel, A.J., Szabó, G., Rual, J.F., Fisk, C.J., Li, N., Smolyar, A., Hill, D.E., Barabási, A.L., Vidal, M., and Zoghbi, H.Y. (2006). A protein-protein interaction network for human inherited ataxias and disorders of Purkinje cell degeneration. Cell 125, 801-814.
