Klann LAB Projects

Development of Innovative Tools to Investigate Translation in the Nervous System

Generation of mouse models for cell type-specific manipulation of translation, tools to visualize de novo protein synthesis, and techniques to identify translating mRNAs and newly synthesized proteins

We have developed several new mouse lines in which translation initiation can be inhibited in an inducible and conditional manner. These mouse lines can be used to address a variety of questions concerning the requirement of de novo translation in various memory processes. We also have developed methods to visual cell type-specific de novo translation ex vivo in brain slices and in vivo in mice. Finally, we have developed new techniques utilizing surface sensing of translation (SUnSET) and bioorthogonal noncanonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) coupled with stable isotope labeling by amino acid in cell culture (SILAC) to selectively isolate and quantify newly synthesized proteins within specific temporal windows.

Selected important publications since 2014:

Bowling, H., Zhang, G., Bhattacharya, A., Perez-Cuesta, L.M., Deinhardt, K., Hoeffer, C.A., Neubert, T.A.,

Gan, W.-B., Klann, E.*, and Chao, M.V.* (2014) Antipsychotics enhance neuronal morphological complexity via mTORC1-dependent translation. Sci. Signal. 7: ra4. *equal contribution. PMCID: PMC4063438

Zhang, G., Bowling, H., Hom, N., Kirshenbaum, K., Klann, E., Chao, M.V., and Neubert, T.A. (2014) In-depth quantitative proteomic analysis of de novo protein synthesis induced by brain-derived neurotrophic factor. J. Proteome Res. 13: 5707-5714. PMCID: PMC4261974

Bowling, H., Bhattacharya, A., Zhang, G., Lebowitz, J.Z., Alam, D., Smith, P.T., Kirschenbaum, K., Neubert, T.A., Vogel, C., Chao, M.V.*, and Klann, E.* (2016) BONLAC: a combinatorial proteomic technique to measure stimulus-induced translational profiles in brain slices. Neuropharmacology 100: 76-89. *equal contribution