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Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Rajeshwar Awatramani Lab

Publications

Learn more about the work that we do in the Rajeshwar Awatramani Laboratory through our recent publications.
  1. Gaertner Z, Oram C, Schneeweis A, Schonfeld E, Bolduc C, Chen C, Dombeck D, Parisiadou L, Poulin JF, Awatramani R  Molecular and spatial transcriptomic classification of midbrain dopamine neurons and their alterations in a LRRK2G2019S model of Parkinson's disease.  bioRxiv  2024 Sep 25;. pii:2024.06.06.597807
  2. Pulcrano S, De Gregorio R, De Sanctis C, Volpicelli F, Piscitelli RM, Speranza L, Perrone-Capano C, di Porzio U, Caiazzo M, Martini A  et al.  miR-218 Promotes Dopaminergic Differentiation and Controls Neuron Excitability and Neurotransmitter Release through the Regulation of a Synaptic-Related Genes Network.  J Neurosci  2023 Nov 29;43(48):8104-8125. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0431-23.2023
  3. Buck SA, Rubin SA, Kunkhyen T, Treiber CD, Xue X, Fenno LE, Mabry SJ, Sundar VR, Yang Z, Shah D  et al.  Sexually dimorphic mechanisms of VGLUT-mediated protection from dopaminergic neurodegeneration.  bioRxiv  2023 Oct 03;. pii:2023.10.02.560584
  4. Azcorra M, Gaertner Z, Davidson C, He Q, Kim H, Nagappan S, Hayes CK, Ramakrishnan C, Fenno L, Kim YS  et al.  Unique functional responses differentially map onto genetic subtypes of dopamine neurons.  Nat Neurosci  2023 Oct;26(10):1762-1774. doi:10.1038/s41593-023-01401-9
  5. Lane G, Zhou G, Hultquist JF, Simons LM, Redondo RL, Ozer EA, McCarthy DM, Ison MG, Achenbach CJ, Wang X  et al.  Quantity of SARS-CoV-2 RNA copies exhaled per minute during natural breathing over the course of COVID-19 infection.  medRxiv  2023 Sep 08;. pii:2023.09.06.23295138
  6. Jang G, Contreras Castillo S, Esteva E, Upadhaya S, Feng J, Adams NM, Richard E, Awatramani R, Sawai CM, Reizis B  Stem cell decoupling underlies impaired lymphoid development during aging.  Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A  2023 May 30;120(22):e2302019120. pii:e2302019120
  7. Gaertner Z, Azcorra M, Dombeck DA, Awatramani R  Molecular heterogeneity in the substantia nigra: A roadmap for understanding PD motor pathophysiology.  Neurobiol Dis  2022 Dec;175:105925. doi:10.1016/j.nbd.2022.105925
  8. Ramesh R, Manurung Y, Ma KH, Blakely T, Won S, Moreno-Ramos OA, Wyatt E, Awatramani R, Svaren J  JUN Regulation of Injury-Induced Enhancers in Schwann Cells.  J Neurosci  2022 Aug 24;42(34):6506-6517. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2533-21.2022
  9. Godsel LM, Roth-Carter QR, Koetsier JL, Tsoi LC, Huffine AL, Broussard JA, Fitz GN, Lloyd SM, Kweon J, Burks HE  et al.  Translational implications of Th17-skewed inflammation due to genetic deficiency of a cadherin stress sensor.  J Clin Invest  2022 Feb 01;132(3). pii:e144363
  10. Earley AM, Burbulla LF, Krainc D, Awatramani R  Identification of ASCL1 as a determinant for human iPSC-derived dopaminergic neurons.  Sci Rep  2021 Nov 15;11(1):22257. pii:22257
  11. Pereira Luppi M, Azcorra M, Caronia-Brown G, Poulin JF, Gaertner Z, Gatica S, Moreno-Ramos OA, Nouri N, Dubois M, Ma YC  et al.  Sox6 expression distinguishes dorsally and ventrally biased dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra with distinctive properties and embryonic origins.  Cell Rep  2021 Nov 09;37(6):109975. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109975
  12. Yang B, Sanches-Padilla J, Kondapalli J, Morison SL, Delpire E, Awatramani R, Surmeier DJ  Locus coeruleus anchors a trisynaptic circuit controlling fear-induced suppression of feeding.  Neuron  2021 Mar 03;109(5):823-838.e6. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2020.12.023
  13. Kouwenhoven WM, Fortin G, Penttinen AM, Florence C, Delignat-Lavaud B, Bourque MJ, Trimbuch T, Luppi MP, Salvail-Lacoste A, Legault P  et al.  VGluT2 Expression in Dopamine Neurons Contributes to Postlesional Striatal Reinnervation.  J Neurosci  2020 Oct 21;40(43):8262-8275. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0823-20.2020
  14. Awatramani R, Lévesque M  "The One Who Guides" Nigral Neuron Migration.  Neuron  2020 Aug 19;107(4):595-596. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2020.07.030
  15. Soden ME, Chung AS, Cuevas B, Resnick JM, Awatramani R, Zweifel LS  Anatomic resolution of neurotransmitter-specific projections to the VTA reveals diversity of GABAergic inputs.  Nat Neurosci  2020 Aug;23(8):968-980. doi:10.1038/s41593-020-0657-z
  16. Poulin JF, Luppi MP, Hofer C, Caronia G, Hsu PK, Chan CS, Awatramani R  PRISM: A Progenitor-Restricted Intersectional Fate Mapping Approach Redefines Forebrain Lineages.  Dev Cell  2020 Jun 22;53(6):740-753.e3. doi:10.1016/j.devcel.2020.05.019
  17. Hunker AC, Soden ME, Krayushkina D, Heymann G, Awatramani R, Zweifel LS  Conditional Single Vector CRISPR/SaCas9 Viruses for Efficient Mutagenesis in the Adult Mouse Nervous System.  Cell Rep  2020 Mar 24;30(12):4303-4316.e6. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2020.02.092
  18. Poulin JF, Gaertner Z, Moreno-Ramos OA, Awatramani R  Classification of Midbrain Dopamine Neurons Using Single-Cell Gene Expression Profiling Approaches.  Trends Neurosci  2020 Mar;43(3):155-169. doi:10.1016/j.tins.2020.01.004
  19. Abecassis ZA, Berceau BL, Win PH, García D, Xenias HS, Cui Q, Pamukcu A, Cherian S, Hernández VM, Chon U  et al.  Npas1+-Nkx2.1+ Neurons Are an Integral Part of the Cortico-pallido-cortical Loop.  J Neurosci  2020 Jan 22;40(4):743-768. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1199-19.2019
  20. Cedernaes J, Huang W, Ramsey KM, Waldeck N, Cheng L, Marcheva B, Omura C, Kobayashi Y, Peek CB, Levine DC  et al.  Transcriptional Basis for Rhythmic Control of Hunger and Metabolism within the AgRP Neuron.  Cell Metab  2019 May 07;29(5):1078-1091.e5. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2019.01.023
  21. Chuhma N, Mingote S, Yetnikoff L, Kalmbach A, Ma T, Ztaou S, Sienna AC, Tepler S, Poulin JF, Ansorge M  et al.  Dopamine neuron glutamate cotransmission evokes a delayed excitation in lateral dorsal striatal cholinergic interneurons.  Elife  2018 Oct 08;7. pii:e39786
  22. Poulin JF, Caronia G, Hofer C, Cui Q, Helm B, Ramakrishnan C, Chan CS, Dombeck DA, Deisseroth K, Awatramani R  Mapping projections of molecularly defined dopamine neuron subtypes using intersectional genetic approaches.  Nat Neurosci  2018 Sep;21(9):1260-1271. doi:10.1038/s41593-018-0203-4
  23. Lin HP, Oksuz I, Svaren J, Awatramani R  Egr2-dependent microRNA-138 is dispensable for peripheral nerve myelination.  Sci Rep  2018 Feb 28;8(1):3817. pii:3817
  24. Nouri N, Awatramani R  A novel floor plate boundary defined by adjacent En1 and Dbx1 microdomains distinguishes midbrain dopamine and hypothalamic neurons.  Development  2017 Mar 01;144(5):916-927. doi:10.1242/dev.144949
  25. Cui Q, Pitt JE, Pamukcu A, Poulin JF, Mabrouk OS, Fiske MP, Fan IB, Augustine EC, Young KA, Kennedy RT  et al.  Blunted mGluR Activation Disinhibits Striatopallidal Transmission in Parkinsonian Mice.  Cell Rep  2016 Nov 22;17(9):2431-2444. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2016.10.087
  26. Poulin JF, Tasic B, Hjerling-Leffler J, Trimarchi JM, Awatramani R  Disentangling neural cell diversity using single-cell transcriptomics.  Nat Neurosci  2016 Aug 26;19(9):1131-41. doi:10.1038/nn.4366
  27. Caronia-Brown G, Anderegg A, Awatramani R  Expression and functional analysis of the Wnt/beta-catenin induced mir-135a-2 locus in embryonic forebrain development.  Neural Dev  2016 Apr 05;11:9. pii:9
  28. Anderegg A, Poulin JF, Awatramani R  Molecular heterogeneity of midbrain dopaminergic neurons--Moving toward single cell resolution.  FEBS Lett  2015 Dec 21;589(24 Pt A):3714-26. doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2015.10.022
  29. Lin HP, Oksuz I, Hurley E, Wrabetz L, Awatramani R  Microprocessor complex subunit DiGeorge syndrome critical region gene 8 (Dgcr8) is required for schwann cell myelination and myelin maintenance.  J Biol Chem  2015 Oct 02;290(40):24294-307. doi:10.1074/jbc.M115.636407
  30. Nouri N, Patel MJ, Joksimovic M, Poulin JF, Anderegg A, Taketo MM, Ma YC, Awatramani R  Excessive Wnt/beta-catenin signaling promotes midbrain floor plate neurogenesis, but results in vacillating dopamine progenitors.  Mol Cell Neurosci  2015 Sep;68:131-42. doi:10.1016/j.mcn.2015.07.002
  31. Anderegg A, Awatramani R  Making a mes: A transcription factor-microRNA pair governs the size of the midbrain and the dopaminergic progenitor pool.  Neurogenesis (Austin)  2015;2(1):e998101. pii:e998101
  32. Issler O, Haramati S, Paul ED, Maeno H, Navon I, Zwang R, Gil S, Mayberg HS, Dunlop BW, Menke A  et al.  MicroRNA 135 is essential for chronic stress resiliency, antidepressant efficacy, and intact serotonergic activity.  Neuron  2014 Jul 16;83(2):344-360. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2014.05.042
  33. Joksimovic M, Awatramani R  Wnt/β-catenin signaling in midbrain dopaminergic neuron specification and neurogenesis.  J Mol Cell Biol  2014 Feb;6(1):27-33. doi:10.1093/jmcb/mjt043
  34. Anderegg A, Lin HP, Chen JA, Caronia-Brown G, Cherepanova N, Yun B, Joksimovic M, Rock J, Harfe BD, Johnson R  et al.  An Lmx1b-miR135a2 regulatory circuit modulates Wnt1/Wnt signaling and determines the size of the midbrain dopaminergic progenitor pool.  PLoS Genet  2013;9(12):e1003973. pii:e1003973
  35. Oommen S, Otsuka-Tanaka Y, Imam N, Kawasaki M, Kawasaki K, Jalani-Ghazani F, Anderegg A, Awatramani R, Hindges R, Sharpe PT  et al.  Distinct roles of microRNAs in epithelium and mesenchyme during tooth development.  Dev Dyn  2012 Sep;241(9):1465-72. doi:10.1002/dvdy.23828
  36. He X, Yu Y, Awatramani R, Lu QR  Unwrapping myelination by microRNAs.  Neuroscientist  2012 Feb;18(1):45-55. doi:10.1177/1073858410392382
  37. Joksimovic M, Patel M, Taketo MM, Johnson R, Awatramani R  Ectopic Wnt/beta-catenin signaling induces neurogenesis in the spinal cord and hindbrain floor plate.  PLoS One  2012;7(1):e30266. pii:e30266
  38. Yun B, Anderegg A, Menichella D, Wrabetz L, Feltri ML, Awatramani R  MicroRNA-deficient Schwann cells display congenital hypomyelination.  J Neurosci  2010 Jun 02;30(22):7722-8. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0876-10.2010
  39. Joksimovic M, Anderegg A, Roy A, Campochiaro L, Yun B, Kittappa R, McKay R, Awatramani R  Spatiotemporally separable Shh domains in the midbrain define distinct dopaminergic progenitor pools.  Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A  2009 Nov 10;106(45):19185-90. doi:10.1073/pnas.0904285106