Yvonne Bradford
yvonne@uoneuro.uoregon.edu

University of Oregon
Institute of Neuroscience
1254 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1254 USA

Advisors:
Dr. William Roberts, Institute of Neuroscience
Dr. John H. Postlethwait, Institute of Neuroscience

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Research Interests

The human CTBP2 gene encodes two known proteins that have apparently unrelated functions. One product, known as C-terminal binding protein 2 (CtBP2) is a transcriptional co-repressor that binds zinc-finger proteins. The other product (RIBEYE) is a cytoplasmic protein that appears to be a structural component at neuronal "ribbon-class" synapses, where it has been hypothesized to serve as a molecular motor. In mammals, CtBP2 is encoded by nine exons, with a large intron between exon1c and exon2. Exon1R of Ribeye is contained within this large intron. The two isoforms thus have different N-termini, each of which is encoded by single 5' exons (A domains), that are spliced onto a common C-terminus (B-domain) encoded by the same eight exons. To understand how novel developmental and physiological functions can evolve from a single gene, we have been investigating the genomic structure and embryological function of ctbp2 in pufferfish, zebrafish, humans, and cows. Our preliminary data suggests that the last common ancestor of fish and mammals already had a single copy of the ctbp2 gene, and that a later duplication in the fish lineage generated a second copy of this and several flanking genes in pufferfish and zebrafish. Developmental analysis is revealing changes in gene function after the teleost gene duplication.

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Publications

... none currently ...