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Discovering

INDIVIDUAL RESEARCHER

Russell Ferland , PhD
Associate Professor
e-mail: ferlanr@mail.amc.edu

Phone: 518-262-0172
Fax: 518-262-5799

Education

2000 - PhD from University of Rochester Medical School
- Postdoctoral Training at Harvard Medical School


Research Interests

The combined long-term objectives of our research are to better understand the molecular, genetic, and cellular mechanisms causing neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders. Overall, my research interests lie primarily in the study of disorders of brain development and neurological disease and involve the following areas of investigation:

1) functional analyses of AHI1, a novel gene which we mapped and cloned in patients with Joubert syndrome (Ferland et al., Nature Genetics, 2004; Doering et al., J. Comp. Neurol., 2008; Hsiao et al., Hum. Mol. Genet., 2009; Westfall et al., J. Neurosci., 2010),
 
2) formation and function of the primary non-motile cilia in development and disease (Hsiao et al., Hum. Mol. Genet., 2009; Westfall et al., J. Neurosci., 2010; Hsiao et al., Cilia, 2012),
 
3) genetic and neuroanatomical mechanisms of seizure threshold, seizure propagation, and epileptogenesis (Papandrea et al., Exp. Neurol., 2009, Papandrea et al., Epil. Res., 2009; Ferland et al., 1998a,b,c, 1999, 2002a,b, 2003).


PubMed Publications

  1. Tuz K, Hsiao YC, Juarez O, Shi B, Harmon EY, Phelps IG, Lennartz MR, Glass IA, Doherty D, Ferland RJ. The Joubert syndrome associated missense mutation (V443D) in the Abelson-helper integration site 1 (AHI1) protein alters its localization and protein-protein interactions. J. Biol. Chem., 2013, in press.


  2. Bhoiwala DL, Koleilat I, Qian J, Beyer B, Hushmendy SF, Mathew A, Bhoiwala DL, Ferland RJ, Crawford DR. Overexpression of RCAN1 isoform 4 in mouse neurons leads to a moderate behavioral impairment. Neurol. Res., 35(1):79-89, 2013.


  3. Zhang J, Neal J, Lian G, Shi B, Ferland RJ, Sheen VL. Brefeldin A-inhibited guanine exchange factor 2 regulates Filamin A phosphorylation and neuronal migration. J. Neurosci., 32(36):12619-12629, 2012.


  4. Lian G, Lu J, Hu J, Zhang J, Cross SH, Ferland RJ, Sheen VL. Filamin A Regulates Neural Progenitor Proliferation and Brain Size through Wee1-Dependent Cdk1 Phosphorylation. J. Neurosci., 32(22):7672-84, 2012.


  5. Hsiao Y-C, Tuz K, Ferland RJ, Trafficking in and to the primary cilium. Cilia, 1:4 (1-13), 2012


  6. Westfall (Doering) JE, Hoyt C, Liu Q, Hsiao Y-C, Pierce EA, Page-McCaw PS, Ferland RJ. Retinal degeneration and failure of photoreceptor outer segment formation in mice with targeted deletion of the Joubert syndrome gene, Ahi1. J. Neurosci., 30(26):8759-8768, 2010.


  7. Papandrea D, Kukol WS, Anderson TM, Herron BJ, Ferland RJ. Analysis of flurothyl-induced myoclonus in inbred strains of mice. Epil. Res., 87:130-136, 2009.


  8. Hsiao Y-C, Tong ZJ, Westfall (Doering) JE, Ault JG, Page-McCaw PS, Ferland RJ. Ahi1, whose human ortholog is mutated in Joubert syndrome, is required for proper localization of Rab8a, ciliogenesis, and vesicular trafficking. Hum. Mol. Genet., 18(20):3926-3941, 2009.


  9. Ferland RJ, Batiz LF, Neal J, Lian G, Bundock E, Lu J, Hsiao Y-C, Diamond R, Mei D, Banham A, Brown PJ, Vanderburg CR, Joseph J, Hecht JL, Folkerth R, Guerrini R, Walsh CA, Rodriguez EM, Sheen VL. Disruption of neural progenitors along the ventricular and subventricular zones in periventricular heterotopia. Hum. Mol. Genet., 18(3):497-516, 2009.


  10. Papandrea D, Anderson TM, Herron BJ, Ferland RJ. Genetic dissociation of seizure traits in inbred strains of mice using the flurothyl model of epileptogenesis. Exp. Neurol., 215:60-68, 2009.


  11. Doering JE, Kane K, Hsiao Y-C, Yao C, Shi B, Slowik A, Dhagat B, Scott D, Ault JG, Page-McCaw PS, Ferland RJ. Species differences in the expression of AHI1, a protein implicated in the neurodevelopmental disorder Joubert syndrome, with preferential accumulation to stigmoid bodies. J. Comp. Neurol., 511:238-256, 2008.


  12. Ferland RJ, Eyaid W, Collura RV, Tully LD, Hill RS, Al-Nouri D, Al-Rumayyan A, Topcu M, Gascon G, Bodell A, Shugart YY, Ruvolo M, and Walsh CA. Abnormal cerebellar development and axonal decussation due to mutations in AHI1 in Joubert Syndrome. Nature Genet., 36:1008-1013, 2004.