Neurodevelopment and translation control

Kraushar Lab

We aim to discover a logic of brain development and evolution that is encoded by gene expression.

The brain is built during prenatal development by highly evolved gene expression programs. Our focus is an evolutionarily recent brain region in mammals, the neocortex. We adapt cutting-edge technologies to analysis of this complex developmental system, with the goal of visualizing gene expression in action at high resolution. Many of our investigations focus on protein synthesis by the ribosome - an ancient molecular complex that has expanded its structure and function during evolution.

We focus on how post-transcriptional control expands neuronal diversity and patterns brain circuits.

The final gatekeeper of gene expression is mRNA translation into protein by the ribosome. Protein synthesis is particularly regulated in neurons, where the ribosome localizes, amplifies or suppresses, and precisely times protein expression. We track how the activity of transcription in the nucleus is synchronized with translation in the cytoplasm during neurodevelopment.

Our approach is highly multidisciplinary for analysis at all scales, from molecules to millions of years of evolution. Our tools include bench and bioinformatics analysis of RNA and protein chemistry, transcriptomics, ribosome profiling, SILAC proteomics, click chemistry, and high-resolution imaging – including light and electron microscopy.