Development and Engineering of Dopamine Neurons

Development of the Dopamine Systems in Zebrafish.- Dopamine Systems in the Forebrain.- The Role of Otx Genes in Progenitor Domains of Ventral Midbrain.- Terminal Differentiation of Mesodiencephalic Dopaminergic Neurons:.- Foxa1 and Foxa2 Transcription Factors Regulate Differentiation of Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons.- Transcriptional Regulation of Their Survival:.- Neurotrophic Support of Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons.- TGF-? in Dopamine Neuron Development, Maintenance and Neuroprotection.- Axon Guidance in the Dopamine System.- Protocols for Generating ES Cell-Derived Dopamine Neurons.- Molecular and Cellular Determinants for Generating ES-Cell Derived Dopamine Neurons for Cell Therapy.

R. Jeroen Pasterkamp is an Assistant Professor at the Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. The focus of his laboratory is directed towards understanding the molecular and intracellular signaling events involved in the formation of neuronal connections with a particular focus on the developing dopamine system. His research team concentrates on the developing mouse embryo using an integrated approach involving molecular biology, cell biology, in vivo functional proteomics, and mouse genetics. He received his PhD from the Netherlands Institute for Neurosciences (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and did his Postdoctoral at the Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.

Marten Smidt is an Associate Professor at the Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. The focus of his laboratory is directed towards understanding the developmental processes that underlie neuronal differentiation and specification. The main focus has been the development of mesodiencephalic dopamine neurons. The work includes mouse genetics, molecular genetics and molecular biology. Marten Smidt received his PhD from the University of Groningen (Groningen, The Netherlands) and did his postdoctoral at Utrecht University, Department of Medical Pharmacology, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience (Utrecht, The Netherlands).

J. Peter H. Burbach is professor of Molecular Neuroscience at Utrecht University and head of the Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. His research interests concern the role of transcription factors in development and regulation of peptidergic and dopaminergic