Timothy Henion PHD
Title Research Assistant Professor
Institution University of Massachusetts Medical School
Department Cell and Developmental Biology
Address University of Massachusetts Medical School
55 Lake Avenue North
Worcester MA 01655
Telephone 508-856-1827
Email
Narrative

Academic Background

BS, SUNY College at Brockport, 1986
PhD, Medical College of Pennsylvania, 1996

Current appointments:

Shriver Center
Research Assistant Scientist
Division of Biomedical Sciences, Shriver Center
Glycan Function in Nervous System Development

Timothy HenionThe surface of all cells is modified by a diverse array of complex carbohydrate structures that are required for normal cell function. Many neurons in particular express unique glycans that are rarely found in other tissues, suggesting specific roles in nervous system development.  These glycoconjugates are attached to protein and lipids by specific glycosyltransferase enzymes. Recently, a number of human diseases that severely affect normal brain development have been found to  result from genetic mutations in glycosyltransferase genes. There is now strong evidence that carbohydrates influence many aspects of normal brain development, including  signaling pathways that regulate neuronal cell fate, migration, and the formation of axon connections with target tissues.

Our research specifically examines the functional role of glycosylation during sensory nervous system development. We focus mainly on the olfactory system, which is responsible for our perception of smell and the transmission of odorant information to the brain.  This region of the nervous system is unique in that the projections of neurons from the sensory periphery to the central nervous system is highly stereotyped, and continually regenerated throughout life.  This allows the function of glycoconjugates in neuronal cell fate and axon guidance to be studied in great detail.  The information obtained is also being applied to help understand glycan functions during the development of other sensory systems, including those involved in hearing and pain perception.

Ongoing Projects

Notch Signaling in Olfactory Progenitor Cell Fate

Lactosamine Glycan Function in Sensory System Development

Publications
1. Henion TR, Madany PA, Faden AA, Schwarting GA. ß3GnT2 null mice exhibit defective accessory olfactory bulb innervation. Mol Cell Neurosci. 2013 Jan; 52:73-86.
  View in: PubMed
 
2. Knott TK, Madany PA, Faden AA, Xu M, Strotmann J, Henion TR, Schwarting GA. Olfactory discrimination largely persists in mice with defects in odorant receptor expression and axon guidance. Neural Dev. 2012; 7:17.
  View in: PubMed
 
3. Schwarting GA, Henion TR. Regulation and function of axon guidance and adhesion molecules during olfactory map formation. J Cell Biochem. 2011 Oct; 112(10):2663-71.
  View in: PubMed
 
4. Henion TR, Faden AA, Knott TK, Schwarting GA. {beta}3GnT2 Maintains Adenylyl Cyclase-3 Signaling and Axon Guidance Molecule Expression in the Olfactory Epithelium. J Neurosci. 2011 Apr 27; 31(17):6576-86.
  View in: PubMed
 
5. Biellmann F, Henion TR, Bürki K, Hennet T. Impaired sexual behavior in male mice deficient for the beta1-3 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-I gene. Mol Reprod Dev. 2008 May; 75(5):699-706.
  View in: PubMed
 
6. Schwarting GA, Henion TR. Olfactory axon guidance: the modified rules. J Neurosci Res. 2008 Jan; 86(1):11-7.
  View in: PubMed
 
7. Schwarting GA, Henion TR. Lactosamine differentially affects olfactory sensory neuron projections to the olfactory bulb. Dev Neurobiol. 2007 Oct; 67(12):1627-40.
  View in: PubMed
 
8. Schwarting GA, Gridley T, Henion TR. Notch1 expression and ligand interactions in progenitor cells of the mouse olfactory epithelium. J Mol Histol. 2007 Dec; 38(6):543-53.
  View in: PubMed
 
9. Henion TR, Schwarting GA. Patterning the developing and regenerating olfactory system. J Cell Physiol. 2007 Feb; 210(2):290-7.
  View in: PubMed
 
10. Bless E, Raitcheva D, Henion TR, Tobet S, Schwarting GA. Lactosamine modulates the rate of migration of GnRH neurons during mouse development. Eur J Neurosci. 2006 Aug; 24(3):654-60.
  View in: PubMed
 
11. Schwarting GA, Henion TR, Nugent JD, Caplan B, Tobet S. Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (chemokine C-X-C motif ligand 12) and chemokine C-X-C motif receptor 4 are required for migration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons to the forebrain. J Neurosci. 2006 Jun 21; 26(25):6834-40.
  View in: PubMed
 
12. Henion TR, Raitcheva D, Grosholz R, Biellmann F, Skarnes WC, Hennet T, Schwarting GA. Beta1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase 1 glycosylation is required for axon pathfinding by olfactory sensory neurons. J Neurosci. 2005 Feb 23; 25(8):1894-903.
  View in: PubMed
 
13. Chou DK, Henion TR, Jungalwala FB. Regulation of expression of sulfoglucuronyl carbohydrate (HNK-1), Amphoterin and RAGE in retinoic acid-differentiated P19 embryonal carcinoma cells. J Neurochem. 2003 Aug; 86(4):917-31.
  View in: PubMed
 
14. Henion TR, Qu Q, Smith FI. Expression of dystroglycan, fukutin and POMGnT1 during mouse cerebellar development. Brain Res Mol Brain Res. 2003 Apr 10; 112(1-2):177-81.
  View in: PubMed
 
15. Davis AM, Henion TR, Tobet SA. Gamma-aminobutyric acidB receptors and the development of the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus. J Comp Neurol. 2002 Jul 29; 449(3):270-80.
  View in: PubMed
 
16. Henion TR, Zhou D, Wolfer DP, Jungalwala FB, Hennet T. Cloning of a mouse beta 1,3 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase GlcNAc(beta 1,3)Gal(beta 1,4)Glc-ceramide synthase gene encoding the key regulator of lacto-series glycolipid biosynthesis. J Biol Chem. 2001 Aug 10; 276(32):30261-9.
  View in: PubMed
 
17. Baboval T, Henion T, Kinnally E, Smith FI. Molecular cloning of rat alpha1,3-fucosyltransferase IX (Fuc-TIX) and comparison of the expression of Fuc-TIV and Fuc-TIX genes during rat postnatal cerebellum development. J Neurosci Res. 2000 Oct 15; 62(2):206-15.
  View in: PubMed
 
18. Zhou D, Henion TR, Jungalwala FB, Berger EG, Hennet T. The beta 1,3-galactosyltransferase beta 3GalT-V is a stage-specific embryonic antigen-3 (SSEA-3) synthase. J Biol Chem. 2000 Jul 28; 275(30):22631-4.
  View in: PubMed
 
19. Henion TR, Galili U. Structure function studies of a New World monkey alpha 1,3galactosyltransferase. Analysis of alternative splicing and expression in baculovirus system. Subcell Biochem. 1999; 32:49-77.
  View in: PubMed
 
20. Shinkel TA, Chen CG, Salvaris E, Henion TR, Barlow H, Galili U, Pearse MJ, d'Apice AJ. Changes in cell surface glycosylation in alpha1,3-galactosyltransferase knockout and alpha1,2-fucosyltransferase transgenic mice. Transplantation. 1997 Jul 27; 64(2):197-204.
  View in: PubMed
 
21. LaTemple DC, Henion TR, Anaraki F, Galili U. Synthesis of alpha-galactosyl epitopes by recombinant alpha1,3galactosyl transferase for opsonization of human tumor cell vaccines by anti-galactose. Cancer Res. 1996 Jul 1; 56(13):3069-74.
  View in: PubMed
 
22. Henion TR, Macher BA, Anaraki F, Galili U. Defining the minimal size of catalytically active primate alpha 1,3 galactosyltransferase: structure-function studies on the recombinant truncated enzyme. Glycobiology. 1994 Apr; 4(2):193-201.
  View in: PubMed
 
23. Gorelik E, Kim M, Duty L, Henion T, Galili U. Control of metastatic properties of BL6 melanoma cells by H-2Kb gene: immunological and nonimmunological mechanisms. Clin Exp Metastasis. 1993 Nov; 11(6):439-52.
  View in: PubMed
 
24. Heda GD, Henion TR, Galili U. A simple in vitro site directed mutagenesis of concatamerized cDNA by inverse polymerase chain reaction. Nucleic Acids Res. 1992 Oct 11; 20(19):5241-2.
  View in: PubMed
 
25. Henion T, Handley D, Vargas F, Matta KL, Piver MS, Diakun KR. Antigenic studies on an enzymatically sialylated carbohydrate: NeuAc(alpha 2-3)Gal(beta 1-3)GalNAc. Immunol Invest. 1991 Feb; 20(1):1-20.
  View in: PubMed
 
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Keyword
Last Name
Institution
    
 
 
 
Keywords   
Olfactory Pathways
N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases
Amino Sugars
Axons
Olfactory Bulb
See all (181) keywords
Co-Authors  
Galili, Uri
Schwarting, Gerald
See all (2) people
Physical Neighbors  
Stein, Janet
Woodhead, John
Craig, Roger
Gagliardi, Susan
Lou, Yang

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