The Graduate Program in Neuroscience

Faculty Profile
Randall D. McKinnon, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Division of Neurosurgery Department of Surgery Robert Wood Johnson Medical School BSc 1978, Queen19s, Ontario PhD 1984, McMaster Postdoctoral Training: 1984 - 1987, Scripps
UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 675 Hoes Lane Piscataway, NJ 08854 (732) 235-4419 FAX: (732) 235-4477 mckinnon@umdnj.edu
Research Interests		Research Techniques

Research Summary
Polypeptide growth factors regulate many of the cell-cell interactions important for multicellular development and homeostasis, including aspects of cell proliferation, migration, survival and differentiation. Our focus is on the function of growth factors in the central nervous system during CNS development , and in the role of growth factors in repair after injury or disease. Neural cells are explanted from the rodent brain and placed in cell culture, and the effects of growth factors including basic fibroblast growth factor, platlet-derived growth factor, and transforming growth factor-beta in the process of CNS myelin formation. Current studies are directed at identifying and characterizing several novel growth factors which have important roles in CNS development. A second area of research focuses on research focuses on cell transportation. Neural cells deficient in specific growth factor signal tranduction pathways are being transplanted back into normal host animals, in order to address the role of growth factors in the development of specific neural cell lineages in vivo. Finally, the effects of normal cells transplanted into animals with neurodegenerative disease are being examined.

Key References
For complete list: PubMed McKinnon, R.D., Piras, G., Ida, J Jr., and Dubois-Dalcq, M. (1993) A role for TGF-beta in oligodendrocyte development. J. Cell Biol. 121:1397-1407. Ida, J. Jr., Dubois-Dalcq, M. and McKinnon, R.D. (1993) Expression of the receptor tyrosine kinase c-kit in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. J. Neurosci. Res. 36:596-606. Kuhn, P.L., Petroulakais, E., Zazanis, G.A. and McKinnon, R.D. (1995) Int. Motor function analysis of myelin mutant mice usind a rotarod. J. Devel. Neurosci., 13:715-722. McKinnon, R.D. and Dubois-Dalcq, M. (1996) Growth factors in the development and regeneration of oligodendrocytes. In: Cytokines and the CNS. E.N. Benviniste and R.M. Ransohoff, Eds. CLC Press, Boca Raton, Fl., Chapter 5, pp. 85-113. McMoris, F.A. and McKinnon, R.D. (1996) Regulation of oligodendrocyte development and CNS myelination by growth factors: prospects for therapy of demyelinating disease. Brain Pathology, 6:313-329.