Jennifer R. Morgan
EDUCATION:
Yale University: Department of Cell Biology New Haven, CT
Postdoctoral Associate / Lecturer Fall 2005
Postdoctoral Fellow 2001-2005
Duke University: Department of Neurobiology Durham, NC
Ph.D. in Neurobiology 1996-2001
University of North Carolina: Department of Physiology Chapel Hill, NC
B.S. in Biology with Honors 1991-1995
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE:
Postdoctoral research project: "The roles of phosphoinositides at the synapse"
Advisor: Pietro De Camilli, M.D.
Graduate dissertation: "Mechanisms of synaptic vesicle endocytosis: the functions of clathrin in the nerve terminal"
Advisor: George J. Augustine, Ph.D.
Undergraduate honors thesis: "Distribution and characterization of the uptake mechanism of histamine in the photoreceptor neurons of the giant barnacle"
Advisor: Ann E. Stuart, Ph.D.
FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS:
Faculty Research Award (Bowdoin College) 2006-2007
Individual Postdoctoral National Research Service Award (NIH/NIMH) 2002-2005
Grass Fellowship in Neurosciences (Grass Foundation / MBL) 2003
Brown - Coxe Postdoctoral Fellowship (Yale University) 2001-2002
Individual Predoctoral National Research Service Award (NIH/NIMH) 2000-2001
Conference Travel Fellowship (Duke University) 2000
Ruth K. Broad Biomedical Foundation Fellowship (Duke University) 1999-2000
Class of 1989 Academic Scholarship (University of NC-Chapel Hill) 1994-1995
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:
Member of the Corporation of the Marine Biological Lab (MBL) elected 2004
American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) 2003-present
Society for Neuroscience 1996-present
Research Statement
I study process by which nerve cells, neurons, communicate with each other. This process is called synaptic transmission, and it underlies all human social, cognitive and sexual behaviors. The communication between two neurons occurs at specialized contact sites called synapses, where one neuron releases signaling molecules called neurotransmitters onto the other neuron. In this way the two neurons "talk to" one another. One proposed key player in synapse function is the cytoskeleton, a filamentous network of proteins built from many molecules of the ubiquitously expressed protein, actin. In non-neuronal cells, the actin cytoskeleton can either be stable, providing structural support for a cell, or can be dynamic, generating the forces that drive many cellular functions. However, in neurons, particularly at synapses, the roles of actin are still unclear.
Image of lamprey sucking onto another fish.
Thus, the focus of my current research is to understand the functions of actin at synapses and the molecular mechanisms by which it is regulated. The two primary goals are: 1) to elucidate actin's roles in general synaptic maintenance (e.g. in membrane trafficking, vesicle recycling) and 2) to determine whether actin partipates in de novo synapse formation during axonal regeneration. My experiments take advantage of the giant synapses found within axons of the lamprey spinal cord. These synapses have a beautiful ring of actin surrounding sites of neurotransmitter release, making this the ideal preparation in which to study the functions of actin at synapses. Electrophysiology, fluorescence imaging, electron microscopy, biochemistry, and molecular biology techniques are used to explore the relevant questions. Future projects include development of behavioral assays to assess functional regeneration of axons in lamprey.
 |
 |
| A) Image showing a single large lamprey axon injected with a fluorescent marker for actin. Each actin ring represents a single giant synapse. | B) Higher magnification image showing that the actin ring (green) surrounds vesicle clusters (red), which are sites of transmitter release. Bar in each panel equals 5 µm. |
PUBLICATIONS:
*Bourne JN, *Morgan JR, Pieribone VA (in press) Actin polymerization regulates clathrin coat maturation during early stages of synaptic vesicle recycling at lamprey synapses. Journal of Comparative Neurology
Augustine GJ, Morgan JR, Villalba C, Jin S, Prasad K, Lafer E (2006) Clathrin and synaptic vesicle endocytosis: studies at the squid giant synapse. Biochemical Society Transactions 34:68-72
Morgan JR, Di Paolo G, Werner H, Shchedrina VA, Pypaert M, Pieribone VA, and De Camilli P (2004) A role for talin in presynaptic function. Journal of Cell Biology 167:43-50
Morgan JR (2003) Sniffing calcium from the outside: an extracellular sensor for synaptic vesicle recycling. Journal of Physiology 551:2 (awarded one of the Top Ten papers accessed online for the journal during August, 2003)
Morgan JR, Prasad K, Jin S, Augustine GJ, and Lafer EM (2003) Eps15 homology domain-NPF interactions regulate clathrin coat assembly during synaptic vesicle recycling Journal of Biological Chemistry 278:33583-33592
Morgan JR, Augustine GJ, and Lafer EM (2002) Synaptic vesicle endocytosis: the races, places, and molecular faces. NeuroMolecular Medicine 2:101-114
Morgan JR, Prasad K, Jin S, Augustine GJ, and Lafer EM (2001) Uncoating of clathrin-coated vesicles in presynaptic terminals is mediated by auxilin-Hsc70 interaction. Neuron 32:289-300
Morgan JR, Lafer EM and Augustine GJ (2001) Rapid-fire synaptic vesicle exocytosis. Neuron 29:5-7
Morgan JR, Prasad K, Hao W, Augustine GJ, and Lafer EM (2000) A conserved clathrin assembly motif is essential for synaptic vesicle endocytosis. Journal of Neuroscience 20: 8667-8676
Morgan JR, Zhao X, Womack M, Prasad K, Augustine GJ, and Lafer EM (1999) A role for the clathrin assembly domain of AP180 in synaptic vesicle endocytosis. Journal of Neuroscience 19:10201-10211
Augustine GJ, Burns ME, DeBello WM, Hilfiker S, Morgan JR, Schweizer FE, Tokumaru H, and Umayahara K (1999) Proteins involved in synaptic vesicle trafficking. Journal of Physiology 520:33-41
Morgan JR, Gebhardt KA, Stuart AE (1999) Uptake of precursor and synthesis of transmitter in a histaminergic photoreceptor. Journal of Neuroscience 19:1217-1225
Stuart AE, Morgan JR, Mekeel HE, Kempter E, Callaway JC (1996) Selective, activity-dependent uptake of histamine into an arthropod photoreceptor. Journal of Neuroscience 16:3178-3188
BOOKS:
Morgan JR and Bloom O (2006) The Cells of the Nervous System. Chelsea House Publishers; NYC, NY
Bloom O and Morgan JR (2006) Encephalitis. Chelsea House Publishers; NYC, NY