Lori J Lorenz PHD
Title Assistant Professor
Institution University of Massachusetts Medical School
Department Program in Molecular Medicine
Address University of Massachusetts Medical School
 373 Plantation Street
 Worcester MA 01605
Telephone 508-856-2288
Email
Narrative
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND: Lori Lorenz received a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Purdue University, and earned a Ph.D. in Biology with an NIH predoctoral fellowship to study circadian rhythms with Michael Rosbash at Brandeis University. She explored Drosophila genetics with Norbert Perrimon at Harvard Medical School through an NIH postdoctoral award, and became Instructor of Cell Biology with funding from the Taplin Foundation. In 2002, she came to the University of Massachusetts Medical School with a grant from the Whitehall Foundation to investigate mRNA translation in the nervous system. SCIENCE/TRANSLATION: We identified a gene that affects longitudinal axon growth in Drosophila and, in the Richter laboratory (Jung et al., 2006), found that the encoded protein, Neuroguidin, contains eIF4E-binding domains similar to those in proteins that inhibit mRNA translation. We found that Neuroguidin preferentially inhibits translation through a cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding site for the translation factor, CPEB. We also have found that Neuroguidin regulates mRNA translation and synaptic plasticity in the rodent brain (Udagawa et al., 2012). SCIENCE/BEHAVIOR: Drosophila locomotor activity patterns entrain to light/dark environments similarly to humans, with higher levels during the day and lower levels at night. Genes controlling circadian rhythms vary in expression transcriptionally and continue to drive rhythmic behavior in subsequent darkness. Through transgenic GAL4/UAS and RNAi techniques, we find that homologs of Neuroguidin and CPEB (Orb) influence rest/activity patterns during entrainment, suggesting a role for translation in the generation of sleep/wake behavior.
Publications
1. Udagawa T, Swanger SA, Takeuchi K, Kim JH, Nalavadi V, Shin J, Lorenz LJ, Zukin RS, Bassell GJ, Richter JD. Bidirectional Control of mRNA Translation and Synaptic Plasticity by the Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Complex. Mol Cell. 2012 Jun 20.
  View in: PubMed
 
2. Jung MY, Lorenz L, Richter JD. Translational control by neuroguidin, a eukaryotic initiation factor 4E and CPEB binding protein. Mol Cell Biol. 2006 Jun; 26(11):4277-87.
  View in: PubMed
 
3. Richter JD, Lorenz LJ. Selective translation of mRNAs at synapses. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2002 Jun; 12(3):300-4.
  View in: PubMed
 
4. Van Vactor D, Lorenz LJ. Introduction: invertebrate axons find their way. Cell Mol Life Sci. 1999 Aug 30; 55(11):1355-7.
  View in: PubMed
 
5. Van Vactor DV, Lorenz LJ. Neural development: The semantics of axon guidance. Curr Biol. 1999 Mar 25; 9(6):R201-4.
  View in: PubMed
 
6. Eberl DF, Ren D, Feng G, Lorenz LJ, Van Vactor D, Hall LM. Genetic and developmental characterization of Dmca1D, a calcium channel alpha1 subunit gene in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics. 1998 Mar; 148(3):1159-69.
  View in: PubMed
 
7. Eberl DF, Lorenz LJ, Melnick MB, Sood V, Lasko P, Perrimon N. A new enhancer of position-effect variegation in Drosophila melanogaster encodes a putative RNA helicase that binds chromosomes and is regulated by the cell cycle. Genetics. 1997 Jul; 146(3):951-63.
  View in: PubMed
 
8. Lorenz LJ, Hall JC, Rosbash M. Expression of a Drosophila mRNA is under circadian clock control during pupation. Development. 1989 Dec; 107(4):869-80.
  View in: PubMed
 
9. Liu X, Lorenz L, Yu QN, Hall JC, Rosbash M. Spatial and temporal expression of the period gene in Drosophila melanogaster. Genes Dev. 1988 Feb; 2(2):228-38.
  View in: PubMed
 
10. Lorenz LJ, Richter JD. A cDNA clone for a polyadenylated RNA-binding protein of Xenopus laevis oocytes hybridizes to four developmentally regulated mRNAs. Mol Cell Biol. 1985 Oct; 5(10):2697-704.
  View in: PubMed
 
11. Richter JD, Lorenz LJ, Audet RG. Membrane-bound mRNAs are recruited from preinitiated ribonucleoprotein particles in injected Xenopus oocytes. J Biol Chem. 1985 Apr 10; 260(7):4448-54.
  View in: PubMed
 
12. Deschenes RJ, Lorenz LJ, Haun RS, Roos BA, Collier KJ, Dixon JE. Cloning and sequence analysis of a cDNA encoding rat preprocholecystokinin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Feb; 81(3):726-30.
  View in: PubMed
 
13. Dixon JE, Andrews PC, Collier K, Deschenes R, Funckes C, Lorenz L, Magazin M, Minth CD, Nichols R, Tavianini M, et al. Cloning and biosynthetic studies of rat somatostatin. Scand J Gastroenterol Suppl. 1983; 82:25-31.
  View in: PubMed
 
For assistance with using Profiles, please refer to the online tutorials or contact UMMS Help Desk or call 508-856-8643.
 
Keyword
Last Name
Institution
    
 
 
 
Keywords   
Axons
Protein Biosynthesis
RNA, Messenger
Nervous System
Synapses
See all (104) keywords
Co-Authors  
Richter, Joel
See all (1) people
Physical Neighbors  
Conte, Darryl
Straubhaar, Juerg
Lifshitz, Lawrence
Gonzalez Perez, Maria
Ip, Yicktung

UMMS Home

Intranet

This is an official Page/Publication of the University of Massachusetts Worcester Campus
Office of the Vice Provost for Research, 55 Lake Ave North, Worcester, Massachusetts 01655
Questions or Comments? Email: publicaffairs@umassmed.edu Phone: 508-856-1572