Faculty

Kathryn Crossin 
Associate Professor
Department of Neurobiology
TSRI - 1992

Education 
Ph.D., The University of Texas
Medical Branch, 1982

Awards & Activities 
Adjunct fellow of the Neurosciences Institute; Editorial board, Cell Adhesion and Communication, 1993-2001.

Research Focus 
Mechanisms of N-CAM Signaling and Neural Stem Cell Differentiation

The work in our laboratory is focused on understanding the signaling capabilities of various cell adhesion molecules on the cell's plasma membrane. Most recent work has focused on the neural cell adhesion molecule, N-CAM, and its ability to signal hippocampal neural precursor cells to become neurons rather that astroglia and to activate the transcription factor NFkB in astrocytes. The combination of FGF2 and either N-CAM or the neurotrophin BDNF allowed neural precursor cells (i.e. stem cells) to form neural networks that became spontaneously active in culture over a very short time period. We are using this system to evaluate the molecular mechanisms that support the emergence of neural network activity in culture and to identify a receptor for N-CAM that mediates this response.

Selected References 
Amoureux, M.-C., Cunningham, B.A., Edelman, G.M., and Crossin, K.L. (2000) N-CAM binding inhibits the proliferation of hippocampal progenitor cells and stimulates their differentiation to a neuronal phenotype. J. Neurosci. 20, 3631-3640.

Crossin, K.L. and Krushel, L.A.(2000) Cellular signaling by neural cell adhesion molecules of the immunoglobulin superfamily. Dev. Dyn. 218, 260-279.

Choi, J., Krushel, L.A., and Crossin, K.L. (2001) NF-kB activation by N-CAM and cytokines in astrocytes is regulated by multiple protein kinases and redox modulation. Glia 33, 45-56.

Mistry, S.K., Keefer, E.W., Cunningham, B.A., Edelman, G.M., and Crossin, K.L. (2002) Cultured rat hippocampal neural progenitors generate spontaneously active neural networks. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99, 1621-1626.