John D. Oberdick, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Department of Neuroscience and Center for Molecular Neurobiology

Degree: Columbia University
Postdoctoral Training: The Roche Institute of Molecular Biology

Contact Information
226A Rightmire Hall
1060 Carmack Road
Columbus, OH  43210
PHONE: (614) 292-8714
FAX: (614) 292-5379
E-MAIL: oberdick.1@osu.edu

Link to NLM PubMed publications list for John D. Oberdick (last 10 years)

Research Area:

The primary focus in the lab is to understand the control of a tissue-specific promoter.  The broader goal, however, is to understand the role of Purkinje cells in establishing the functional architecture of the cerebellum in terms of both genetically dictated compartmental boundaries as well as the generation and survival of other cerebellar cell types.  This has been mainly achieved through directed modification of cerebellar Purkinje cells in transgenic mice.

Current Research:

The primary focus of research in our laboratory is to understand the basic molecular mechanisms that generate pattern within the nervous system.  In particular we are interested in how neurons arrange themselves into functional aggregates that can be uniquely identified by patterns of input and output.  Our primary model system is the mouse cerebellum, a hallmark feature of which is the topographical restriction of its constituent neurons and neuronal projections to cellular "slabs" arranged in parallel. These wiring zones can be conveniently identified by a number of molecules that divide the cerebellum into a striking pattern of "zebra stripes".  Manipulation of the genes that encode these molecules using transgenic mouse technology has begun to reveal the manner in which genetic information is translated into the wiring diagram of the brain.  Superimposed onto this genetically encoded framework, however, the connections between neurons in the cerebellum retain the capacity to be modified by experience. Our ultimate goal is to understand the interplay between "hard-wired" early development and the functional plasticity that underlies cerebellum-mediated motor learning.

In addition to the global compartmentation of the cerebellum described above, experiments within our lab have shown that individual Purkinje cells (the sole output neuron from the cerebellar cortex) are divided into subcellular compartments.  These can be observed at the molecular level by segregated patterns of mRNA distribution within the cell.  Like the compartmental cellular aggregates, these subcellular zones are linked to the wiring diagram of the cerebellum.  It is likely that these reservoirs of mRNA allow local control of protein synthesis within the cell.  This is possibly a means by which restricted sites of contact with other neurons can be selectively modified to produce long-term changes required for memory.

Techniques:

• Molecular biology: cDNA cloning and characterization, RNA preparation and analysis, Northern and Southern blotting, RT-PCR, DNA sequencing.
• Protein/DNA and RNA interactions: gel retardation assay for DNA and RNA binding proteins, DNAse I protection (footprint analysis), screening of cDNA expression libraries.
• Molecular anatomy: in situ hybridization with radioactive (35S labelled) and non-radioactive (digoxigenin labelled) probes, immunocytochemistry, analysis of bacterial b-galactosidase expression in transgenic mice, TUNEL assay for apoptotic cell death, confocal microscopy.
• Transgenic mice: production and analysis of transgenic mice in conjunction with the Transgenic Mouse Facility at the Center for Molecular Neurobiology