Faculty Profile

Fan Wang, Ph.D. (Neurobiology, Columbia University) Associate Professor, Department of Cell Biology Neurobiology Duke University Program in Genetics Cell and Molecular Biology Program Developmental Biology Training Program	My lab uses mouse trigeminal sensory motor system as a model to define the neural circuits for encoding and processing both touch and pain sensory information, sensorimotor integration and motor control of active touch. Functional assembly of the tactile neural circuit by trigeminal neurons. Rodents use whiskers as their tactile sensors. Each individual whisker is innervated by several different subtypes of mechanosensory neurons that each can sense subtle differences in amplitude, velocity, orientation, duration etc of a touch stimulus. All neurons representing the same whisker project together to form a synaptic structure in the brain termed barrelette. We are in the process of genetically labeling distinct types of mechanosensory neurons to trace their synaptic inputs into the barrelette unit. The goal is to understand the integration and coding of touch information. Neural circuits underlying orofacial pain processing. Trigeminal nociceptive sensory neurons detect painful stimuli experienced by the face and mouth. We are interested in dissecting the brainstem neural circuits involved in processing pain information. Of particular interest to us is the inhibitory circuits that prevent pain sensory transmission, as maladaptive changes in such circuits could lead to dis-inhibition and thus chronic orofacial pain. We are combining the use of various Cre-driver lines with neurotropic viruses to dissect the connectivity formed between sensory afferents and distinct types of brainstem neurons. Neural circuits controlling orofacial motor behaviors. Trigeminal sensory neurons provide sensory feedback to coordinate a diverse array of orofacial motor behaviors such as rhythmic whisking, chewing, vocalization, as well as reflex behaviors such as eye blinking and sneezing. We are interested in dissecting the sensorimotor circuits that control these orofacial behaviors with the goal of understanding how different movement patterns are generated. We are employing modern transsynaptic tracing techniques and molecular genetics to functionally map these circuits.

Email fan.wang@duke.edu Nanaline Duke Bldg., Box 3709 Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710 Telephone: 919-684-3682

Selected Publications
Arenkiel, B.A., Hasegawa H., Yi, J., Larsen, R.S., Wallace, M.L., Philpot, B.D., Wang, F., and Ehlers, M.D. Activity-induced remodeling of olfactory bulb microcircuits revealed by monosynaptic tracing. (2011). PLoS ONE. 6(12):e29423 -PDF-

Scott, A., Hasegawa, H., Sakurai, K., Yaron, A., Cobb, J., and Wang, F. Transcription factor Shox2 is required for proper development of TrkB-expressing mechanosensory neurons. (2011). J. Neurosci. 31(18):6741-6749. -PDF-

Da Silva, S., Hasegawa, H., Han, B., and Wang, F. Proper formation of whisker-barrelettes requires periphery-derived Smad4-dependent TGFb signaling. (2011). PNAS. Epub ahead of print. -PDF-

Zhou, X., Takatoh, J., and Wang, F. The mammalian Class 3 PI3K (PIK3C3) is required for early embryogenesis and cell proliferation. (2011) PLoS One 6(1): e16358. -PDF-

Wang, L., Budolfson, K., and Wang, F. Pik3c3 deletion in pyramidal neurons results in loss of synapses, extensive gliosis and progressive neurodegeneration. (2011). Neuroscience. 13;172:427-42. -PDF-

Da Silva, S. and Wang, F. Retrograde specification of neural circuits by target derived neurotrophins and growth factors. (2010). Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. Epub ahead of print. -PDF-

Zhou, X., Wang, L., Hasegawa, H., Amin, P., Han, B.X., Kaneko, S., He, Y., Wang, F. (2010) Deletion of PIK3C3/Vps34 in sensory neurons causes rapid neurodegeneration by disrupting the endosomal but not the autophagic pathway. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. May 18;107(20):9424-9. Epub 2010 May 3. -PDF-

Hodge, L.K., Klassen, M., Han, B.X., Yiu, G., Hurrell, J., Howell, A., Rousseau, G., Lemaigre, F., Tessier-Lavigne, M., and Wang, F. (2007) Retrograde BMP signaling regulates trigeminal sensory neuron identities and the formation of precise face maps. Neuron 55: 572-586. -PDF-

Hasegawa, H., Abbott, S., Han, B.X., Qi., Y., and Wang, F. (2007) Analyzing somatosensory axon projections with the sensory neuron-specific Advillin gene. J Neurosci: 27(52): 14404-14. -PDF-

Zhou, X, Babu, J.R., da Silva, S., Shu, Q., Tani, T., Oliver, T., Tomoda, T., Graef, I.A., Wooten, M.W., and Wang, F. (2007). Ulk1/2-mediated endocytic process regulates filopodia extension and branching of sensory axons. PNAS 104 (14): 5842-5847.

Wang, F. (2004). Steering Growth Cones with a CaMKII/Calcineurin Switch. Neuron 43 (6): 760-762.

Graef, I.A.*, Wang, F.*, Charron, F., Chen L., Tessier-Lavigne, M., and Crabtree, G.R. (2003) Neurotrophins and netrins require calcineurin/NFAT signaling to stimulate outgrowth of embryonic axons. Cell 113: 657-70. (* These authors contributed equally.)

Lin, D,M., Wang, F., Lowe, G., Gold, G.H., Axel, R., Ngai, J., and Brunet, L.. (2000) Formation of precise connections in the olfactory bulb occurs in the absence of odorant-evoked neuronal activity. Neuron 26: 69-80.

Bulfone, A., Wang, F., Hevnor, R., Anderson, S., Cutforth, T., Chen, S., Meneses, J., Pedersen, R., Axel, R. and Rubenstein, J.L.R. (1998) An olfactory sensory map develops in the absence of normal projection neurons or GABAergic interneurons. Neuron 21: 1273-1282.

Wang, F., Nemes, A., Mendelsohn, M. and Axel, R. (1998) Odorant receptors govern the formation of a precise topographic map. Cell 93: 47-60.

Mombaerts, P., Wang, F., Dulac, C., Chao, S.K., Nemes, A., Mendelsohn, M., Edmondson, J. and Axel, R. (1996) Visualizing an olfactory sensory map. Cell 87: 675-686.

Mombaerts, P. Wang, F., Dulac, C., Vassar, R., Chao, S.K., Nemes, A., Mendelsohn, M., Edmondson, J. and Axel, R. (1996) The molecular biology of olfactory perception. Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Qualitative Biology, V LXI: 135-145.

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