Asst. Prof. Dr. Elly M. Tanaka
The brain is not considered a regenerative organ, although stem cells and neurogenesis have been identified in certain regions of the brain of various mammals. In contrast, one type of tetrapods, the salamanders can undergo regeneration of extensive parts of its brain. The Tanaka laboratory uses molecular genetics in the axolotl salamander to understand how adult neural stem cells can regenerate the brain. Using single cell profiling approaches in collaboration with the Treutlein laboratory in Basel, we found that mammalian and axolotl brain cells can be compared, and showed that stem cells undergo similar processes to make new neurons in adult brains. Some aspect of injury triggers axolotl neural stem cells to replace the missing part via substantial proliferation and differentiation. We are interested in the molecular mechanisms underlying how stem cells are triggered to make new neurons.
Research areas:
- Regeneration Biology
- Stem cell biology
- Cell fate decisions
Focal points of interest
GABA cells are formed from neural progenitor cells during development but how they are formed during regeneration--whether they stem from similar progenitors or different progenitors, and what controls their differentiation trajectory are unknown. We are interested to understand how the post-embryonic axolotl brain controls the number and type of GABA neurons that are regenerated, and how these cells integrate into new and existing circuits.
Technical proficiency and instrumentation
Our lab has generated hundreds of axolotl transgenic lines to study the biology of regeneration. We perform live imaging on regenerating organs. We also use multiple methods to over express or knockdown gene function in developing and regenerating organs. We also use genomic and transcriptomic analysis, also at the single cell level to analyse the genomic control of regeneration.
Aspirations for the next 5 years
We are very interested to collaborate with those working on mammalian systems to compare the response of neural stem cells to injury and to understand how GABA neurons are generated in the adult. We also look forward to working together with circuit and systems neuroscientists to analyse the role of GABA cells in regenerated brain circuits.
References
- Arbanas LI, Cura Costa E, Chara O, Otsuki L, Tanaka EM. Lineage tracing of Shh+ floor plate cells and dynamics of dorsal-ventral gene expression in the regenerating axolotl spinal cord. Dev Growth Differ. 2024 Oct;66(8):414-425. doi: 10.1111/dgd.12945. Epub 2024 Oct 10. PMID: 39387203.
- Poss KD, Tanaka EM. Hallmarks of regeneration. Cell Stem Cell. 2024 Sep 5;31(9):1244-1261. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2024.07.007. Epub 2024 Aug 19. PMID: 39163854; PMCID: PMC11410156.
- Krammer T, Stuart HT, Gromberg E, Ishihara K, Cislo D, Melchionda M, Becerril Perez F, Wang J, Costantini E, Lehr S, Arbanas L, Hörmann A, Neumüller RA, Elvassore N, Siggia E, Briscoe J, Kicheva A, Tanaka EM. Mouse neural tube organoids self-organize floorplate through BMP-mediated cluster competition. Dev Cell. 2024 Aug 5;59(15):1940-1953.e10. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2024.04.021. Epub 2024 May 21. PMID: 38776925.
- Lust K, Maynard A, Gomes T, Fleck JS, Camp JG, Tanaka EM, Treutlein B. Single-cell analyses of axolotl telencephalon organization, neurogenesis, and regeneration. Science. 2022 Sep 2;377(6610):eabp9262. doi: 10.1126/science.abp9262. Epub 2022 Sep 2. PMID: 36048956.
