Martin Lévesque, PhD
Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Université Laval
Molecular mechanisms of axon guidance mediated by PlexinC1 in dopamine neuron axonal projections
Degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic neurons (mDA) is the principal cause of Parkinson's disease. Grafts of dopaminergic neurons newly generated from stem cells represent a promising therapeutic avenue. However, inappropriate re-innervation of the grafted neurons represents a major factor limiting success in transplantation studies. Our previous work has identified PlexinC1 as a potential important candidate that mediates appropriate innervation of dopaminergic axons.
The aim of this project is thus to investigate the function of PlexinC1 in mDA axons connectivity. Our findings will help efforts to understand the molecular factors contributing to the efficiency of cell replacement therapies in Parkinson's disease.
