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3258 TAMU Office: Lab: Fax: 979-845-2891 |
Biography |
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Mark Zoran joined the Department of Biology faculty at Texas A&M University in January of 1992. He is currently an Associate Professor of Biology and Neuroscience, the Chair of the Interdisciplinary Faculty of Neuroscience, and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in the College of Science. Mark graduated from DePue High School (Illinois) in 1975. He earned a B.A. in Biology (1979) from Augustana College, Illinois, and an M.S. in Biological Sciences (1981) from Illinois State University. In 1987, he received a Ph.D. in Zoology (Neurobiology) from Iowa State University. Mark Zoran has studied the parental care behaviors of Cichlid fishes, the neural pathways underlying rapid escape in aquatic oligochaetes, and the developmental mechanisms governing synapse formation between identified snail neurons. His current research interests include developmental relationships between electrical and chemical synapses in regenerating nervous systems, molecular mechanisms governing neural regeneration and morphallaxis, and the cellular control of circadian rhythms in neural cell communication. Dr. Zoran teaches undergraduate courses in physiology and neurobiology and graduate level courses in comparative neurobiology and neural development. |
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| Cellular and Developmental Neurobiology | |
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Research Summary My laboratory studies cellular mechanisms governing the formation of specific synaptic connections between neurons and their targets. These mechanisms include cell-cell recognition and target-dependent induction of the presynaptic secretion machinery. Some of our studies investigate synapse formation of identified motoneurons of the American pond snail, Helisoma trivolvis , following nerve injury in vivo and in cell culture. Since the synapse is the site of most interneuronal communication within the nervous system, an understanding of the development, regeneration and plasticity of these connections is crucial to an ultimate appreciation of neural integration and brain function. Neural Morphallaxis We also study a rare form of regeneration called neural morphallaxis in the annelid worm, Lumbriculus variegatus. This organism is ideal for examining behavioral, physiological, cellular and molecular mechanisms of development, regeneration and systems-level plasticity. We have defined the neural correlates of escape reflexes, which are reconfigured during morphallaxis. Recently we have begun investigations of synaptic molecules up-regulated specifically during morphallaxis. This model system is emerging as a valuable educational tool in the science classroom. |
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| Selected Publications | |
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Selected Publications list Zoran, M.J. and Martinez, V. (2007) Lumbriculus variegatus and the Need for Speed: A Model System for Studies of Rapid Escape, Regeneration and Asexual Reproduction . In: Annelids as Models Systems in the Biological Sciences (Ed. Daniel Shain). (Invited chapter, In press) Szabo, T.M. and Zoran, M.J. (2007) Transient electrical coupling regulates formation of neuronal networks. Brain Research 1129, 63-71. Tjalkens, R.B., Zoran, M. J., Mohl, B., and Mouneimne, R. (2006) Manganese suppresses ATP-dependent intercellular calcium waves in astrocyte networks through alteration of mitochondrial calcium dynamics. Brain Research 1113, 210-9. Martinez, V.G., Reddy, P.K., and Zoran, M.J. (2006). Asexual reproduction and segmental regeneration, but not morphallaxis, are inhibited by boric acid in Lumbriculus variegatus (Annelida: Clitellata: Lumbriculidae). Hydrobiologia 564: 73-86. Peters, J.L., Earnest, B.J., Tjalkens, R.B., Cassone, V.M., and Zoran, M.J. (2005) Modulation of intercellular calcium signaling by melatonin, in avian and mammalian astrocytes, is brain region specific. J. Comp. Neurol. 493, 370-380. Bell-Pedersen, D., Cassone, V.M., Earnest, D.J., Golden, S.S., Hardin, P.E., Thomas, T.L., and Zoran, M.J. (2005) Multiple oscillators regulate rhythmicity in organisms from bacteria to man. Nature Reviews Genetics 6(7), 544-566. Neunuebel J. P. and Zoran, M.J.(2005) Electrical synapse formation disrupts calcium-dependent exocytosis, but not vesicle mobilization. Synapse 56:154-165. Martinez, V.G., Menger III, G.J. and Zoran, M.J. (2005) Regeneration and asexual reproduction share common molecular changes: upregualtion of a neural glycoepitope during morphallaxis in Lumbriculus. Mech. Devel. 122(5), 721-732. Peters, J.L., Cassone, V.M. and Zoran, M.J. (2005) Melatonin modulates intercellular communication among cultured chick astrocytes. Brain Research 1031, 10-19.Zoran, M.J. and J.C. Poyer. 1998. Temporal and spacial resolution of Helisoma neuronal synapse formation. The Neuron in Cell Culture. IBRO Handbook (Ed. L.W. Haynes), John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Sussex. Achee, N.L. and M.J. Zoran. 1997. Serotonin-induced modulation of excitability in an identified Helisoma neuron. J. Exp. Biol. 200:1537-1548 Poyer, J.C. and M.J. Zoran. 1996. Activity-dependent induction of functional secretory properties at cultured neuromuscular synapses of Helisoma. J. Neurophysiol. 76:2635-2643 Zoran, M.J., B. Metts, and J.C. Poyer. 1996. Specific muscle contacts induce increased transmitter release and neuritic arborization in motoneuronal cultures. Dev. Biol. 179:212-222. Achee, N.L. and M.J. Zoran. 1996. Short-term and long-term alterations in neuronal excitability during injury-induced axonal regeneration in ganglia and cell culture. Invet. Neurosci. 2:189-198. |
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