Kerry Tucker’s neuron development study published in ‘Developmental Biology’
Kerry L. Tucker, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, published a research article in the scientific journal, Developmental Biology, titled,
Collaborating with a research team at the ¸ßÇå²»¿¨¸£Àû of Bonn in Bonn, Germany, Tucker's laboratory investigated the development of a population of neurons in the midbrain that are critical for coordinating movement. Degeneration of these neurons leads to the debilitating defects seen in patients with Parkinson's disease. Tucker's lab used several genetically engineered mouse models to show that the primary cilium, a cellular organelle, is essential for normal development of this neuronal population. His laboratory is now investigating potential roles that the primary cilium may play in the degeneration process seen in Parkinson's.