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Susan B Gagliardi PhD

TitleProfessor
InstitutionUMass Chan Medical School
DepartmentNeurology
AddressUMass Chan Medical School
55 Lake Avenue North
Worcester MA 01655
Phone508-856-2454
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    Other Positions
    InstitutionT.H. Chan School of Medicine
    DepartmentNeurology

    InstitutionT.H. Chan School of Medicine
    DepartmentNeuroNexus Institute

    InstitutionT.H. Chan School of Medicine
    DepartmentRadiology


    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse education and training
    Radcliffe College, Cambridge, MA, United StatesBABiology
    Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United StatesPHDAnatomy

    Collapse Overview 
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    Cell and Developmental Biology Department




    Academic Background



    BA., Radcliffe College, 1965

    PhD, Harvard University, 1971



    Development genetics, experimental study of myelin, cytologicaland ultrastructural methods



    The CNS myelin sheath is a specialized outgrowth of the oligodendrocyteplasma membrane which forms a multilamellar sleeve of characteristicultrastructural morphology and biochemical composition enclosing an axon. Mutations in the genes encoding the two major myelin proteins + myelinbasic protein (MBP) and proteolipid protein (PLP) + each produce specificdefects in oligodendrocyte/myelin development and morphology as well as inthe amount of the respective structural proteins. When these and/or otherCNS myelin mutations are combined in double mutant mice, we havefound that the defects in development or morphology are often alteredseparately from the protein levels. These unexpected intergenicinteractions suggest that:




    1. The wild-type MBP gene has at least two separately regulated functions.


    2. The wild-type PLP gene has at least three such independent functions.


    3. When major myelin proteins are lacking, the oligodendrocyte may makemyelin-like sheaths using other proteins + minor, transient, ornon-specific.


    4. Some function of the MBP gene may be toxic to oligodendrocytes unlessit is complemented by the proper function of the PLP gene.



     



    We are exploring and testing these ideas in our laboratories. Oneaspect of our work involves a new sex-linked lethal mouse myelin mutation(named jp4j), which we believe to be in the PLP gene. We arecurrently characterizing the mutation by sequencing the PLP gene of thejp4j mouse, studying the morphology of its oligodendrocytes andmyelin by light and electron microscopy, and determining steady-statelevels of myelin-specific mRNA’s and proteins by Northern andimmunoblots. These studies should yield important new information aboutthe relationship between location of mutations in the PLP gene andspecific impairments of gene functions. They will also be helpful inbetter understanding how PLP protein is actually integrated into themyelin membrane. Another aspect of our work involves themultidisciplinary analysis of the molecular, biochemical, and quantitativemorphological phenotypes of specific double mutant mice. Genes from whichthese combinations are being engineered include two MBP mutations, an MBPtransgene, three PLP mutations, as well as the new putative PLP mutationwhich we are characterizing. Specific phenotypes are being defined inboth the intact CNS and in the simplified environment of dispersedoligodendrocyte cultures.



    The goal of this work is to gain new insights into normal myelin geneexpression and the roles of specific proteins in CNS myelination. Thesestudies may also provide information applicable to myelin disease inhumans.



    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse selected publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.
    Newest   |   Oldest   |   Most Cited   |   Most Discussed   |   Timeline   |   Field Summary   |   Plain Text
    PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Billings-Gagliardi S, Mazor KM. Effects of review on medical students' recall of different types of neuroanatomical content. Acad Med. 2009 Oct; 84(10 Suppl):S34-7. PMID: 19907381.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    2. Billings-Gagliardi S, Mazor KM. Development and validation of the stroke action test. Stroke. 2005 May; 36(5):1035-9. PMID: 15817898.
      Citations: 30     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    3. Billings-Gagliardi S, Barrett SV, Mazor KM. Interpreting course evaluation results: insights from thinkaloud interviews with medical students. Med Educ. 2004 Oct; 38(10):1061-70. PMID: 15461651.
      Citations: 10     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    4. Billings-Gagliardi S, Mazor KM, Belanger M. Explanations of basic medical information by students: what lay people find effective. Acad Med. 2001 Oct; 76(10 Suppl):S39-41. PMID: 11597868.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    5. Billings-Gagliardi S, Belanger M, Mazor K. A workshop for first-year medical students on communicating scientific information to patients. Acad Med. 2001 May; 76(5):531. PMID: 11346575.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    6. Billings-Gagliardi S, Nunnari JJ, Wolf MK. Rumpshaker behaves like juvenile-lethal Plp mutations when combined with shiverer in double mutant mice. Dev Neurosci. 2001; 23(1):7-16. PMID: 11173922.
      Citations: 3     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    7. Wolf MK, Nunnari JN, Billings-Gagliardi S. Quaking*shiverer double-mutant mice survive for at least 100 days with no CNS myelin. Dev Neurosci. 1999; 21(6):483-90. PMID: 10640866.
      Citations: 3     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
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