Shepherd Lab

We've been a little slack in updating you with news, but here's a talk I gave TEDMED that summarizes our recent work in a general audience format.

How an ancient virus spread the ability to remember Do you remember your oldest memory? Jason Shepherd clearly recalls a childhood filled with questioning the world around him, which naturally lead to a life of scientific discovery. As a Neurobiologist, Jason's curiosity spurred an unexpected finding as he studied the biology behind memory s...

The Shepherd lab is excited to be receiving funding from the Alzheimer's Association!

Funded Studies Details Get information and resources for Alzheimer's and other dementias from the Alzheimer's Association.

, a master regulator of , contains sequence elements related to Gag genes. Here, 2 studies show that Arc retains retroviral-like capsid-forming ability and can transmit mRNA between cells. http://bit.ly/2CVPe60 , http://bit.ly/2Fv8PvR

We are very excited to share our latest paper, published in Cell!

The Neuronal Gene Arc Encodes a Repurposed Retrotransposon Gag Protein that Mediates Intercellular RNA Transfer The neuronal protein Arc is evolutionarily related to retrotransposon Gag proteins and forms virus-like capsid structures that can transfer mRNA between cells in the nervous system.

The lab made the University home page!

U of U Health | Scientists Restore Youthful Plasticity to the Brains of Adult Mice Like the rest of the body, the brain loses flexibility with age, impacting the ability to learn, remember, and adapt. Now, scientists at University of Utah Health report they can rejuvenate the plasticity of the mouse brain, specifically in the visual cortex. Published today in PNAS, the study shows...

Second paper, with authors - Kyle Jenks, Elissa Pastuzyn and Andrew Taibi from the lab.

Arc restores juvenile plasticity in adult mouse visual cortex National Academy of Sciences

It's been a great summer for the lab, with two papers published! Here's the first: lead (and sole!) author - Elissa Pastuzyn

Activity-Dependent Arc Expression and Homeostatic Synaptic Plasticity Are Altered in Neurons from a Mouse Model of Angelman Syndrome Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that results from deletions or mutations in chromosome 15, which usually includes the UBE3A gene. Ube3A protein is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that ubiquitinates proteins and targets them for degradation. The immediate-early gene Arc, a master regul...

The Shepherd Lab received an amazing score on a recent NIH R01 grant submission that ensures funding for the next 5 years! This all due to the hard work of the lab and is much deserved.

Honored to be one of the 2016 Matilda Ziegler Foundation grant awardees for our work investigating the molecular mechanisms of critical period plasticity in visual cortex!

Grant Opportunities | E. Matilda Ziegler Foundation for the Blind The E. Matilda Ziegler Foundation for the Blind, Inc. (EMZ Foundation) was founded in New York City in 1907 by Electa Matilda Ziegler (1841-1932), the mother of a blind son. The EMZ Foundation announces the availability of funds to support promising young investigators performing innovative vision r...

Congrats to Andrew Taibi for passing his thesis proposal defense and becoming the second Shepherd Lab graduate student to qualify to Ph.D. candidacy!