Fritz Rathjen
Developmental Neurobiology
Free University of Berlin
Germany
Biography
Fritz Rathjen is a Professor of Developmemtal Neurobiology at the Free University of Berlin, Germany
Research Interest
A neuron establishes thousand of synapses which are the fabric of communication within the nervous system. The number, strength as well as specificity of synapses and the balance between inhibitory and excitatory neurons determine brain function. A longstanding goal of neuroscientist therefore is to understand how the enormous degree of connectivity of neurons is established during embryonic and early postnatal development and how this connectivity becomes modulated by experience-dependent processes. The research of our group focuses currently on two molecular aspects of neuronal connectivity: formation of axonal branches and regulation of synapse formation.
Publications
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Jüttner, R. and Rathjen, FG. (2005) Molecular analysis of axonal target specificity and synapse formation. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 62, 2811-2827.
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Jüttner R, Moré MI, Das D, Babich A, Meier J, Henning M, Erdmann B, Müller EC, Otto A, Grantyn R, Rathjen FG. (2005) Impaired synapse function during postnatal development in the absence of CALEB, an EGF-like protein processed by neuronal activity.Neuron. Apr 21;46(2):233-45.
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Schmidt H, Stonkute A, Jüttner R, Schäffer S, Buttgereit J, Feil R, Hofmann F, Rathjen FG. (2007) The receptor guanylyl cyclase Npr2 is essential for sensory axon bifurcation within the spinal cord. J Cell Biol. 2007 Oct 22;179(2):331-40
