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David Kozlowski, Ph.D.
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Research Emphasis
My research is focused on understanding the molecular genetic mechanisms
that lead to specification, patterning, and development of the inner ear.
The inner ear is a complex and highly conserved organ that serves two
important sensory functions in all vertebrate species: the detection of
sound (auditory) and of motion and gravity (vestibular). Abnormal
development or dysfunction of the inner ear leads to deafness or hearing
impairment and/or vestibular deficits and it is estimated that nearly 20
million Americans are hearing impaired and another 2 million suffer chronic
impairment from dizziness or difficulty with balance. Current goals of
this laboratory are to identify genes that are required for development of
the auditory and vestibular systems and to define their roles in the
pathways controlling morphogenesis, neurogenesis and differentiation of the
otic vesicle (future inner ear).
We use the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo as a model vertebrate system because of its rapid development, optical clarity and amenability to both embryological and genetic manipulations. Importantly, the vestibular portion of the fish inner ear is functionally and structurally similar to that of mammals. Our laboratory is characterizing several mutant lines of fish with defects affecting development and function of the inner ear. Utilizing the zebrafish core facility, we are generating transgenic zebrafish that express green fluorescent protein (a gene reporter that can be visualized in live embryos) under the control of inner ear specific gene promoter elements. These transgenic fish will aid in the analysis of mutants as well as provide new information about patterns of gene expression, cell lineage and cell fates in the developing otic vesicle. Projects in our lab utilize molecular (PCR, cloning, in situ hybridization), cell biological (microinjection, fate mapping), and genomic (positional cloning) technologies.
Education
1990 B.S., Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs,
CT
1992 M.S., Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
1997 Ph.D., Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Postdoctoral Training
1997-2001 - Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Awards and Honors:
1999-2001 - Individual NRSA
Postdoctoral Fellowship - Developmental Regulation of Inner Ear Fates (F32
DC00311), University of Pennsylvania
1998-1999 - Institutional NRSA
Postdoctoral Trainee - Developmental Biology Training Grant (T32
HD05716), University of Pennsylvania
Selected Publications:
Kozlowski, D.J., Murakami, T., Ho, R.K., and Weinberg, E.S. 1997.
Regional cell movement and tissue patterning in the zebrafish embryo
revealed by fate mapping with caged fluorescein. Biochemistry and Cell
Biology 75: 551-562.
*Kenny, A.P.,*Kozlowski, D.J., Oleksyn, D.W., Angerer, L., Angerer, R.C.
1999. SpSoxB1, a maternally encoded transcription factor
asymmetrically distributed among early sea urchin blastomeres.
Development 126: 5473-5483.
* contributed equally to this work
Kelly, C., Chin, A.J., Leatherman, J., Kozlowski, D.J., Weinberg, E.W. 2000. Maternally controlled b-catenin-mediated signaling is required for organizer formation in the zebrafish. Development 127: 3899-3911.
Gee, K.R., Weinberg, E.S., Kozlowski, D.J. 2001. Caged Q-Rhodamine Dextran: A new Photoactivated Fluorescent Tracer. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 11: 2181-2183.