Silverman Lab

We are cellular neurobiologists studying the role of protein transport in healthy and diseased neurons.

Nerve cells or neurons are responsible for every thought, emotion, and reaction to the world around you. The architecture of the neuron is such that the tip of the axon, which is required for information transmission, can be quite distant from the cell body where many of the cell’s components are manufactured. Thus, neurons rely on an elaborate microtubule-based transport system to ship cellular components such as organelles containing membrane and secreted proteins to distal sites within the cell. This intracellular transport is essential for the development, maintenance, and survival of neurons. Moreover, transport, or more specifically, fast axonal transport defects are causative or early pathological manifestations of several neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. We are interested in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of axonal transport in human neurons and explore these questions using a variety of techniques including live cell imaging, immunocytochemistry, and biochemistry.

EMAIL:

Michael Silverman
masilver@sfu.ca

LAB ROOM:

TBA

LAB PHONE:

TBA

Lab Website:

www.silvermanlab.org

Selected Publications

Kikuchi M, Viet J, Nagata K, Sato M, David G, Audic Y, Silverman MA, Yamamoto M, Akatsu H, Hashizume Y, Chiba K, Takeda S, Akamine S, Miyamoto T, Uozumi R, Gotoh S, Mori K, Manabu Ikeda M, Paillard L, Morihara T. Gene-gene functional relationships in Alzheimer’s disease: CELF1 regulates KLC1 alternative splicing, BBA - Molecular Basis of Disease. 2024 Aug 20:721:150025
Keefe, AJ, Gabrych DR*, Zhu Y, Vocadlo DJ, Silverman MA. Axonal transport of lysosomes is unaffected in glucocerebrosidase-inhibited iPSC-derived forebrain neurons. eNeuro. 2023 Oct, 10(10): 1–13
Gan, KJ, Akram, A, Blasius, TL, Ramser, EM, Budaitis, BG, Gabrych, DR, Verhey, KJ, Silverman, MA. GSK3ß impairs KIF1A transport in a cellular model of Alzheimer’s disease but does not regulate motor motility at S402. eNeuro. 2020 Nov 5;7(6)

Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry