Formation and function of the axonal cytoskeleton

March 20, 2025 @ 11:00 am to 12:00 pm

Shaul Yogev, Yale University

117 Henderson Building
University Park

Abstract
Neurons rely on a specialized cytoskeletal architecture to deliver proteins and organelles over long distances and to maintain structural integrity and function. Mutations in cytoskeletal proteins or molecular motors are linked to a range of neurodevelopmental disorders, and many neurodegenerative diseases are associated with a reduced function of the cytoskeleton-transport system. Despite its critical role, our understanding of the neuronal cytoskeleton remains limited. In particular, while many purified cytoskeletal proteins and motors are now analyzed at a structural level, how they are regulated in neurons to form intricate architectures or to deliver various cargo types to the appropriate location is poorly understood. My lab’s goal is to bridge this gap. In this talk I will present recent findings on the mechanisms regulating the formation and patterning of microtubule arrays in the axon, as well as the control of axonal transport of cytoskeletal and synaptic proteins.

About the Speaker
Shaul did his undergraduate studies in Paris VI university, and his Master’s in Paris VII and in Mount Sinai Hospital. As a PhD student he studied the intracellular processing of EGF ligands in Drosophila with Benny Shilo at the Weizmann institute. For his postdoc he joined Kang Shen’s lab Stanford, where is studies how the organization of axonal microtubules affects the progression of axonal transport in C. elegans. He established his lab at the Department of Neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine, where is currently an associate professor.

Contact

Melissa Rolls
mur22@psu.edu