Marquardt, Till, Dr.

since 2007: independent research group leader, DFG Emmy Noether group leader at the European Neuroscience Institute, Göttingen

2001-2006: postdoctoral research associate and staff scientist with Samuel L. Pfaff at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, USA

2001: Ph.D. with Peter Gruss at the Max-Planck Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, University of Göttingen

Research interests
Adequate control of body motion and posture depends on elaborate circuitries that connect both motor and sensory neurons with the musculature. The central importance of these connections is illustrated by the debilitating consequences of diseases affecting motor neurons, such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and diabetic neuropathy. Our research aims at understanding the molecular mechanisms driving the assembly of functional neuromuscular circuitries during embryonic and postnatal development. This includes the study of cell surface-based signaling molecules that control motor and sensory axon connectivity in mice. Another research focus of the lab aims at identifying and characterizing novel mechanisms driving the functional specification of motor neurons within the context of operative neuromuscular circuitry. We extensively take advantage of mouse genetics in order to selectively trace and manipulate specific neuron populations. We combine this genetic approach with live 3D fluorescence (spinning disk) microscopy, as well as electrophysiological methods to elucidate the role of cell surface and nuclear receptor proteins in sensory-motor connectivity and functional neuron specification.

Homepage Department/Research Group

http://www.eni.gwdg.de/index.php?id=169



Selected Recent Publications

Gallarda B, Bonanomi D, Müller D, Brown A, Alaynick W A, Andrews S E, Lemke G, Pfaff S L, Marquardt T (2008) Segregation of axial motor and sensory pathways through heterotypic trans-axonal signaling. Science [accepted Feb 25, 2008]

Ghosh S, Marquardt T, Thaler J, Carter N, Pfaff S L, Hunter T (2008) Instructive role of aPKCζ subcellular localization in the assembly of adherens junctions in neural progenitors. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 105(1):335-40

Marquardt T, Shirasaki R, Ghosh S, Carter N, Andrews SE, Hunter T, Pfaff SL (2005) Co-expressed EphA receptors and ephrin-A ligands mediate opposing actions on growth cone navigation from distinct membrane sub-domains. Cell 121:127-139

Marquardt T, Pfaff SL (2001) Cracking the transcriptional code for cell specification in the neural tube. Cell 106:651-654

Marquardt T, Ashery-Padan RA, Andrejewski N, Scardigli R, Guillemot F, Gruss P (2001) Pax6 is required for the multipotent state of retinal progenitor cells. Cell 105:43-55