- Home
- Research
- Group Leaders
- Dr Michael Piper - Neural Stem Cell differentiation
Dr Michael Piper - Neural Stem Cell differentiation
|
Dr. Piper graduated from The University of Tasmania, and received his PhD in Developmental Biology from The University of Queensland in 2003. His PhD, performed at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience with Prof. Melissa Little, centred on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying embryonic kidney development. His first postdoc was performed with Prof. Christine Holt at The University of Cambridge, UK, where he studied the mechanisms by which axonal growth cones navigate to their targets in the brain, using the frog Xenopus laevis as a model system. The significance of his findings was to demonstrate that local protein synthesis within retinal growth cones plays a critical role in guiding nascent retinal axons to their synaptic targets within the brain in the developing Xenopus tadpole. These discoveries greatly expanded our understanding of the mechanisms underlying axonal guidance at the level of the growth cone. In a broader developmental context they also illustrated a sophisticated means by which navigating growth cones are able to respond to extracellular guidance cues in order to reach their specific targets with precision within the startlingly complex environment of the developing nervous system. In his second postdoctoral position, at the Queensland Brain Institute at The University of Queensland, his work focussed on understanding the molecular mechanisms of neural progenitor cell specification in the developing cerebral cortex. In late 2010, Dr. Piper took up a joint position with the Queensland Brain Institute and The School of Biomedical Sciences to continue his research into the mechanisms underlying neural stem cell differentiation.
|
We use the cortex of the developing and adult mouse as a model system to elucidate the biology of neural stem cells within the brain. Ultimately, we hope to define the genes that drive the differentiation of neural progenitor cells into either neurons or glia. Dr. Piper has recently received a University of Queensland Foundation Research Excellence Award to investigate how epigenetic chromatin modification contributes to stem cell differentiation within the embryonic cerebral cortex. The involvement of epigenetic factors in cortical development is currently an area of intense interest in the neuroscience field, and his research aims to provide valuable insights into how chromatin modifications are regulated in the correct spatial and temporal sequence to enable stem cell differentiation. Furthermore, he has recently received funding from the NHMRC to investigate how adult neurogenesis is co-ordinated. This work aims to characterise the molecular cascades regulating adult neurogenesis, providing a clearer insight into how the process of ongoing neuronal generation is regulated in the adult brain.
Queensland Brain Institute
The University of Queensland
Prof. Richard Gronostajski
Department of Biochemistry
State University of New York at Buffalo
Subramanian L, Sarkar A, Shetty A, Muralidharan B, Padmanabhan H, Piper M, Monuki E, Bach I, Gronostajski RM, Richards LJ, Tole S. Lhx2 is necessary and sufficient to suppress astrogliogenesis and promotes neurogenesis in the developing hippocampus. In press, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Zivraj KH, Tung YCL, Piper M, Gumy L, Fawcell J, Yeo GSH, Holt CE. Subcelllular profiling reveals distinct and developmentally regulated repertoire of growth cone mRNAs. The Journal of Neuroscience, 30(46):15464-15478.
Piper M, Barry G, Hawkins J, Mason S, Lindwall C, Little E, Sarkar A, Moldrich RX, Boyle GM, Tole S, Gronostajski RM, Bailey T, Richards LJ. NFIA regulates telencephalic progenitor cell differentiation through repression of the Notch effector Hes1. The Journal of Neuroscience, 30(27):9127-9139.
Piper M, Plachez C, Zalucki O, Fothergill T, Guy Goudreau, Erzurumlu R, Gu C, Richards LJ. (2009) Neuropilin 1-Sema signalling regulates crossing of cingulate pioneering axons during development of the corpus callosum. Cerebral Cortex, 19:i11-i21.
Barry G, Piper M, Lindwall C, Moldrich R, Mason S, Little E, Sarkar A, Tole S, Gronostajski RM, Richards LJ (2008) Specific glial populations regulate hippocampal morphogenesis. The Journal of Neuroscience, 28(47): 12328-12340.
Piper M, Dwidevy A, Leung L, Bradley RS, Holt CE (2008) NF-protocadherin and TAF1 regulate axon initiation and elongation in vivo. The Journal of Neuroscience, 28 (1): 100-105.
Piper M, Anderson R, Dwivedy A, Weinl C, van Horck F, Leung KM, Cogill E, Holt C (2006) Signalling mechanisms underlying Slit2-induced collapse of retinal growth cones. Neuron, 49: 215-228.
Brunet I, Weinl C, Piper M, Trembleau A, Volovitch M, Harris W, Prochiantz A, Holt C (2005) The transcription factor Engrained-2 guides retinal axons. Nature, 438: 94-98.
Piper M, Salih S, Weinl C, Holt CE, Harris WA (2005) Endocytosis-dependent desensitization and protein synthesis-dependent resensitization in retinal growth cone adaptation. Nature Neuroscience, 8: 179-186
PhD projects available:
If you are interested in pursuing graduate studies with us, please contact Dr. Piper for more information on available projects.
Contact details:
Dr. Michael Piper
NHMRC Research Fellow
Queensland Brain Institute and the School of Biomedical Sciences
The University of Queensland
Brisbane Qld 4072
Tel: (+61 7) 3365 4484
Email: m.piper@uq.edu.au
On this site
- Home
- Research
- Group Leaders
- Dr Michael Piper - Neural Stem Cell differentiation
