Professor
Gene Expression Laboratory
Benjamin H. Lewis Chair
Wu, Y., Temple, B.A., Sevilla, N., Zhang, J., Zhu, H., Zolotavin, P., Jin, Y., Duarte, D., Sanders, E., Azim, E., Nimmerjahn, A., Pfaff, S.L., Luan, L., Xie, C. Ultraflexible electrodes for recording neural activity in the mouse spinal cord during motor behavior. (2024) Cell Reports. 43(5):114199. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114199
Daboussi, L., Costaguta, G., Gullo, M., Jasinski, N., Pessino, V., O'Leary, B., Lettieri, K., Driscoll, S., Pfaff, S.L. Mitf is a Schwann cell sensor of axonal integrity that drives nerve repair. (2023) Cell Reports. 42(11):113282. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113282
Globig, A.M., Zhao, S., Roginsky, J., Maltez, V.I., Guiza, J., Avina-Ochoa, N., Heeg, M., Araujo Hoffmann, F., Chaudhary, O., Wang, J., Senturk, G., Chen, D., O'Connor, C., Pfaff, S., Germain, R.N., Schalper, K.A., Emu, B., Kaech, S.M. The β-adrenergic receptor links sympathetic nerves to T cell exhaustion. (2023) Nature. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06568-6
Kobayashi, Y., Shigyo, M., Platoshyn, O., Marsala, S., Kato, T., Takamura, N., Yoshida, K., Kishino, A., Bravo-Hernandez, M., Juhas, S., Juhasova, J., Studenovska, H., Proks, V., Driscoll, S.P., Glenn, T.D., Pfaff, S.L., Ciacci, J.D., Marsala, M. Expandable Sendai-Virus-Reprogrammed Human iPSC-Neuronal Precursors: Post-Grafting Safety Characterization in Rats and Adult Pig. (2023) Cell Transplantation. 32:9636897221107009. DOI: 10.1177/09636897221107009
Hayashi, M., Gullo, M., Senturk, G., Di Costanzo, S., Nagasaki, S.C., Kageyama, R., Imayoshi, I., Goulding, M., Pfaff, S.L., Gatto, G. A spinal synergy of excitatory and inhibitory neurons coordinates ipsilateral body movements. (2023) bioRxiv. DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.21.533603
Ronzano, R., Skarlatou, S., Barriga, B.K., Bannatyne, B.A., Bhumbra, G.S., Foster, J.D., Moore, J.D., Lancelin, C., Pocratsky, A.M., Özyurt, M.G., Smith, C.C., Todd, A.J., Maxwell, D.J., Murray, A.J., Pfaff, S.L., Brownstone, R.M., Zampieri, N., Beato, M. Spinal premotor interneurons controlling antagonistic muscles are spatially intermingled. (2022) Elife. 11. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.81976
Martins, L.F., Brambilla, I., Motta, A., de Pretis, S., Bhat, G.P., Badaloni, A., Malpighi, C., Amin, N.D., Imai, F., Almeida, R.D., Yoshida, Y., Pfaff, S.L., Bonanomi, D. Motor neurons use push-pull signals to direct vascular remodeling critical for their connectivity. (2022) Neuron. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.09.021
Tadokoro, T., Bravo-Hernandez, M., Agashkov, K., Kobayashi, Y., Platoshyn, O., Navarro, M., Marsala, S., Miyanohara, A., Yoshizumi, T., Shigyo, M., Krotov, V., Juhas, S., Juhasova, J., Nguyen, D., Skalnikova, H.K., Motlik, J., Studenovska, H., Proks, V., Reddy, R., Driscoll, S.P., Glenn, T.D., Kemthong, T., Malaivijitnond, S., Tomori, Z., Vanicky, I., Kakinohana, M., Pfaff, S.L., Ciacci, J., Belan, P., Marsala, M. Precision spinal gene delivery-induced functional switch in nociceptive neurons reverses neuropathic pain. (2022) Molecular Therapy. DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.04.023
Amin, N.D., Senturk, G., Hayashi, M., Driscoll, S.P., Pfaff, S.L. Detecting microRNA-mediated gene regulatory effects in murine neuronal subpopulations. (2022) STAR Protoc. 3(1):101130. DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2022.101130
Amin, N.D., Senturk, G., Costaguta, G., Driscoll, S., O'Leary, B., Bonanomi, D., Pfaff, S.L. A hidden threshold in motor neuron gene networks revealed by modulation of miR-218 dose. (2021) Neuron. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.07.028
Osseward, P.J., Amin, N.D., Moore, J.D., Temple, B.A., Barriga, B.K., Bachmann, L.C., Beltran, F., Gullo, M., Clark, R.C., Driscoll, S.P., Pfaff, S.L., Hayashi, M. Conserved genetic signatures parcellate cardinal spinal neuron classes into local and projection subsets. (2021) Science. 372(6540):385-393. DOI: 10.1126/science.abe0690
Marsala, M., Kamizato, K., Tadokoro, T., Navarro, M., Juhas, S., Juhasova, J., Marsala, S., Studenovska, H., Proks, V., Hazel, T., Johe, K., Kakinohana, M., Driscoll, S., Thomas, G., Pfaff, S., Ciacci, J. Spinal parenchymal occupation by neural stem cells after subpial delivery in adult immunodeficient rats. (2019) Stem Cells Translational Medicine. DOI: 10.1002/sctm.19-0156
Reichenstein, I., Eitan, C., Diaz-Garcia, S., Haim, G., Magen, I., Siany, A., Hoye, M.L., Rivkin, N., Olender, T., Toth, B., Ravid, R., Mandelbaum, A.D., Yanowski, E., Liang, J., Rymer, J.K., Levy, R., Beck, G., Ainbinder, E., Farhan, S.M.K., Lennox, K.A., Bode, N.M., Behlke, M.A., Möller, T., Saxena, S., Moreno, C.A.M., Costaguta, G., van Eijk, K.R., Phatnani, H., Al-Chalabi, A., Başak, A.N., van den Berg, L.H., Hardiman, O., Landers, J.E., Mora, J.S., Morrison, K.E., Shaw, P.J., Veldink, J.H., Pfaff, S.L., Yizhar, O., Gross, C., Brown, R.H., Ravits, J.M., Harms, M.B., Miller, T.M., Hornstein, E. Human genetics and neuropathology suggest a link between miR-218 and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathophysiology. (2019) Science Translational Medicine. 11(523). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aav5264
Bravo-Hernandez, M., Tadokoro, T., Navarro, M.R., Platoshyn, O., Kobayashi, Y., Marsala, S., Miyanohara, A., Juhas, S., Juhasova, J., Skalnikova, H., Tomori, Z., Vanicky, I., Studenovska, H., Proks, V., Chen, P., Govea-Perez, N., Ditsworth, D., Ciacci, J.D., Gao, S., Zhu, W., Ahrens, E.T., Driscoll, S.P., Glenn, T.D., McAlonis-Downes, M., Da Cruz, S., Pfaff, S.L., Kaspar, B.K., Cleveland, D.W., Marsala, M. Spinal subpial delivery of AAV9 enables widespread gene silencing and blocks motoneuron degeneration in ALS. (2019) Nature Medicine. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-019-0674-1
Osseward, P.J., Pfaff, S.L. Cell type and circuit modules in the spinal cord. (2019) Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 56:175-184. DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2019.03.003
Bohaciakova, D., Hruska-Plochan, M., Tsunemoto, R., Gifford, W.D., Driscoll, S.P., Glenn, T.D., Wu, S., Marsala, S., Navarro, M., Tadokoro, T., Juhas, S., Juhasova, J., Platoshyn, O., Piper, D., Sheckler, V., Ditsworth, D., Pfaff, S.L., Marsala, M. A scalable solution for isolating human multipotent clinical-grade neural stem cells from ES precursors. (2019) Stem Cell Research & Therapy. 10(1):83. DOI: 10.1186/s13287-019-1163-7
Bonanomi, D., Valenza, F., Chivatakarn, O., Sternfeld, M.J., Driscoll, S.P., Aslanian, A., Lettieri, K., Gullo, M., Badaloni, A., Lewcock, J.W., Hunter, T., Pfaff, S.L. p190RhoGAP Filters Competing Signals to Resolve Axon Guidance Conflicts. (2019) Neuron. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.02.034
Strnadel, J., Carromeu, C., Bardy, C., Navarro, M., Platoshyn, O., Glud, A.N., Marsala, S., Kafka, J., Miyanohara, A., Kato, T., Tadokoro, T., Hefferan, M.P., Kamizato, K., Yoshizumi, T., Juhas, S., Juhasova, J., Ho, C.S., Kheradmand, T., Chen, P., Bohaciakova, D., Hruska-Plochan, M., Todd, A.J., Driscoll, S.P., Glenn, T.D., Pfaff, S.L., Klima, J., Ciacci, J., Curtis, E., Gage, F.H., Bui, J., Yamada, K., Muotri, A.R., Marsala, M. Survival of syngeneic and allogeneic iPSC-derived neural precursors after spinal grafting in minipigs. (2018) Science Translational Medicine. 10(440). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aam6651
Mo, Z., Zhao, X., Liu, H., Hu, Q., Chen, X.Q., Pham, J., Wei, N., Liu, Z., Zhou, J., Burgess, R.W., Pfaff, S.L., Caskey, C.T., Wu, C., Bai, G., Yang, X.L. Aberrant GlyRS-HDAC6 interaction linked to axonal transport deficits in Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy. (2018) Nature Communications. 9(1):1007. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03461-z
Hayashi, M., Hinckley, C.A., Driscoll, S.P., Moore, N.J., Levine, A.J., Hilde, K.L., Sharma, K., Pfaff, S.L. Graded Arrays of Spinal and Supraspinal V2a Interneuron Subtypes Underlie Forelimb and Hindlimb Motor Control. (2018) Neuron. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.01.023
Sternfeld, M.J., Hinckley, C.A., Moore, N.J., Pankratz, M.T., Hilde, K.L., Driscoll, S.P., Hayashi, M., Amin, N.D., Bonanomi, D., Gifford, W.D., Sharma, K., Goulding, M., Pfaff, S.L. Speed and segmentation control mechanisms characterized in rhythmically-active circuits created from spinal neurons produced from genetically-tagged embryonic stem cells. (2017) Elife. 6. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.21540
Hilde, K.L., Levine, A.J., Hinckley, C.A., Hayashi, M., Montgomery, J.M., Gullo, M., Driscoll, S.P., Grosschedl, R., Kohwi, Y., Kohwi-Shigematsu, T., Pfaff, S.L. Satb2 Is Required for the Development of a Spinal Exteroceptive Microcircuit that Modulates Limb Position. (2016) Neuron. 91(4):763-776. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.07.014
Wasson, J.A., Simon, A.K., Myrick, D.A., Wolf, G., Driscoll, S., Pfaff, S.L., Macfarlan, T.S., Katz, D.J. Maternally provided LSD1/KDM1A enables the maternal-to-zygotic transition and prevents defects that manifest postnatally. (2016) Elife. 5. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.08848
Geeven, G., Zhu, Y., Kim, B.J., Bartholdy, B.A., Yang, S.M., Macfarlan, T.S., Gifford, W.D., Pfaff, S.L., Verstegen, M.J., Pinto, H., Vermunt, M.W., Creyghton, M.P., Wijchers, P.J., Stamatoyannopoulos, J.A., Skoultchi, A.I., de Laat, W. Local compartment changes and regulatory landscape alterations in histone H1-depleted cells. (2015) Genome Biology. 16:289. DOI: 10.1186/s13059-015-0857-0
Amin, N.D., Bai, G., Klug, J.R., Bonanomi, D., Pankratz, M.T., Gifford, W.D., Hinckley, C.A., Sternfeld, M.J., Driscoll, S.P., Dominguez, B., Lee, K.F., Jin, X., Pfaff, S.L. Loss of motoneuron-specific microRNA-218 causes systemic neuromuscular failure. (2015) Science. 350(6267):1525-9. DOI: 10.1126/science.aad2509
Pan, F.C., Brissova, M., Powers, A.C., Pfaff, S., Wright, C.V. Inactivating the permanent neonatal diabetes gene Mnx1 switches insulin-producing β-cells to a δ-like fate and reveals a facultative proliferative capacity in aged β-cells. (2015) Development. 142(21):3637-48. DOI: 10.1242/dev.126011
He, W., Bai, G., Zhou, H., Wei, N., White, N.M., Lauer, J., Liu, H., Shi, Y., Dumitru, C.D., Lettieri, K., Shubayev, V., Jordanova, A., Guergueltcheva, V., Griffin, P.R., Burgess, R.W., Pfaff, S.L., Yang, X.L. CMT2D neuropathy is linked to the neomorphic binding activity of glycyl-tRNA synthetase. (2015) Nature. 526(7575):710-4. DOI: 10.1038/nature15510
Pawar, K., Cummings, B.J., Thomas, A., Shea, L.D., Levine, A., Pfaff, S., Anderson, A.J. Biomaterial bridges enable regeneration and re-entry of corticospinal tract axons into the caudal spinal cord after SCI: Association with recovery of forelimb function. (2015) Biomaterials. 65:1-12. DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2015.05.032
Hinckley, C.A., Alaynick, W.A., Gallarda, B.W., Hayashi, M., Hilde, K.L., Driscoll, S.P., Dekker, J.D., Tucker, H.O., Sharpee, T.O., Pfaff, S.L. Spinal Locomotor Circuits Develop Using Hierarchical Rules Based on Motorneuron Position and Identity. (2015) Neuron. 87(5):1008-21. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.08.005
Wang, J., Telese, F., Tan, Y., Li, W., Jin, C., He, X., Basnet, H., Ma, Q., Merkurjev, D., Zhu, X., Liu, Z., Zhang, J., Ohgi, K., Taylor, H., White, R.R., Tazearslan, C., Suh, Y., Macfarlan, T.S., Pfaff, S.L., Rosenfeld, M.G. LSD1n is an H4K20 demethylase regulating memory formation via transcriptional elongation control. (2015) Nature Neuroscience. 18(9):1256-64. DOI: 10.1038/nn.4069
Lee, H., Kim, M., Kim, N., Macfarlan, T., Pfaff, S.L., Mastick, G.S., Song, M.R. Slit and Semaphorin signaling governed by Islet transcription factors positions motor neuron somata within the neural tube. (2015) Experimental Neurology. 269:17-27. DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2015.03.024
Pei, L., Mu, Y., Leblanc, M., Alaynick, W., Barish, G.D., Pankratz, M., Tseng, T.W., Kaufman, S., Liddle, C., Yu, R.T., Downes, M., Pfaff, S.L., Auwerx, J., Gage, F.H., Evans, R.M. Dependence of hippocampal function on ERRγ-regulated mitochondrial metabolism. (2015) Cell Metabolism. 21(4):628-36. DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2015.03.004
Wang, L., Mongera, A., Bonanomi, D., Cyganek, L., Pfaff, S.L., Nüsslein-Volhard, C., Marquardt, T. A conserved axon type hierarchy governing peripheral nerve assembly. (2014) Development. 141(9):1875-83. DOI: 10.1242/dev.106211
Levine, A.J., Hinckley, C.A., Hilde, K.L., Driscoll, S.P., Poon, T.H., Montgomery, J.M., Pfaff, S.L. Identification of a cellular node for motor control pathways. (2014) Nature Neuroscience. 17(4):586-93. DOI: 10.1038/nn.3675
Pfaff, S., Shaham, S. Development of neurons and glia. (2013) Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 23(6):901-2.
Hsu, C.C., White, N.M., Hayashi, M., Lin, E.C., Poon, T., Banerjee, I., Chen, J., Pfaff, S.L., Macagno, E.R., Dorrestein, P.C. Microscopy ambient ionization top-down mass spectrometry reveals developmental patterning. (2013) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 110(37):14855-60. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1310618110
Gifford, W.D., Pfaff, S.L., Macfarlan, T.S. Transposable elements as genetic regulatory substrates in early development. (2013) Trends in Cell Biology. 23(5):218-26. DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2013.01.001
Hinckley, C.A., Pfaff, S.L. Imaging spinal neuron ensembles active during locomotion with genetically encoded calcium indicators. (2013) Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1279:71-9. DOI: 10.1111/nyas.12092
Rowe, H.M., Kapopoulou, A., Corsinotti, A., Fasching, L., Macfarlan, T.S., Tarabay, Y., Viville, S., Jakobsson, J., Pfaff, S.L., Trono, D. TRIM28 repression of retrotransposon-based enhancers is necessary to preserve transcriptional dynamics in embryonic stem cells. (2013) Genome Research. 23(3):452-61. DOI: 10.1101/gr.147678.112
Levine, A.J., Lewallen, K.A., Pfaff, S.L. Spatial organization of cortical and spinal neurons controlling motor behavior. (2012) Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 22(5):812-21. DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2012.07.002
Macfarlan, T.S., Gifford, W.D., Driscoll, S., Lettieri, K., Rowe, H.M., Bonanomi, D., Firth, A., Singer, O., Trono, D., Pfaff, S.L. Embryonic stem cell potency fluctuates with endogenous retrovirus activity. (2012) Nature. 487(7405):57-63. DOI: 10.1038/nature11244
Bonanomi, D., Chivatakarn, O., Bai, G., Abdesselem, H., Lettieri, K., Marquardt, T., Pierchala, B.A., Pfaff, S.L. Ret is a multifunctional coreceptor that integrates diffusible- and contact-axon guidance signals. (2012) Cell. 148(3):568-82. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2012.01.024
Bai, G., Pfaff, S.L. Protease regulation: the Yin and Yang of neural development and disease. (2011) Neuron. 72(1):9-21. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.09.012
Kawakami, Y., Marti, M., Kawakami, H., Itou, J., Quach, T., Johnson, A., Sahara, S., O'Leary, D.D., Nakagawa, Y., Lewandoski, M., Pfaff, S., Evans, S.M., Izpisua Belmonte, J.C. Islet1-mediated activation of the β-catenin pathway is necessary for hindlimb initiation in mice. (2011) Development. 138(20):4465-73. DOI: 10.1242/dev.065359
Hester, M.E., Murtha, M.J., Song, S., Rao, M., Miranda, C.J., Meyer, K., Tian, J., Boulting, G., Schaffer, D.V., Zhu, M.X., Pfaff, S.L., Gage, F.H., Kaspar, B.K. Rapid and efficient generation of functional motor neurons from human pluripotent stem cells using gene delivered transcription factor codes. (2011) Mol. Ther. 19(10):1905-12. DOI: 10.1038/mt.2011.135
Alaynick, W.A., Jessell, T.M., Pfaff, S.L. SnapShot: spinal cord development. (2011) Cell. 146(1):178-178.e1. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.06.038
Liang, X., Song, M.R., Xu, Z., Lanuza, G.M., Liu, Y., Zhuang, T., Chen, Y., Pfaff, S.L., Evans, S.M., Sun, Y. Isl1 is required for multiple aspects of motor neuron development. (2011) Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences. 47(3):215-22. DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2011.04.007
Bruno, I.G., Karam, R., Huang, L., Bhardwaj, A., Lou, C.H., Shum, E.Y., Song, H.W., Corbett, M.A., Gifford, W.D., Gecz, J., Pfaff, S.L., Wilkinson, M.F. Identification of a microRNA that activates gene expression by repressing nonsense-mediated RNA decay. (2011) Molecular Cell. 42(4):500-10. DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2011.04.018
Macfarlan, T.S., Gifford, W.D., Agarwal, S., Driscoll, S., Lettieri, K., Wang, J., Andrews, S.E., Franco, L., Rosenfeld, M.G., Ren, B., Pfaff, S.L. Endogenous retroviruses and neighboring genes are coordinately repressed by LSD1/KDM1A. (2011) Genes & Development. 25(6):594-607. DOI: 10.1101/gad.2008511
Garudadri, S., Gallarda, B., Pfaff, S., Alaynick, W. Spinal cord electrophysiology II: extracellular suction electrode fabrication. (2011) J Vis Exp.(48) DOI: 10.3791/2580
Bai, G., Chivatakarn, O., Bonanomi, D., Lettieri, K., Franco, L., Xia, C., Stein, E., Ma, L., Lewcock, J.W., Pfaff, S.L. Presenilin-dependent receptor processing is required for axon guidance. (2011) Cell. 144(1):106-18. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2010.11.053
Qu, Y., Glasco, D.M., Zhou, L., Sawant, A., Ravni, A., Fritzsch, B., Damrau, C., Murdoch, J.N., Evans, S., Pfaff, S.L., Formstone, C., Goffinet, A.M., Chandrasekhar, A., Tissir, F. Atypical cadherins Celsr1-3 differentially regulate migration of facial branchiomotor neurons in mice. (2010) Journal of Neuroscience. 30(28):9392-401. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0124-10.2010
Gallarda, B.W., Sharpee, T.O., Pfaff, S.L., Alaynick, W.A. Defining rhythmic locomotor burst patterns using a continuous wavelet transform. (2010) Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1198:133-9. DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05437.x
Zhang, M., Liu, J., Kim, Y., Dixon, J.E., Pfaff, S.L., Gill, G.N., Noel, J.P., Zhang, Y. Structural and functional analysis of the phosphoryl transfer reaction mediated by the human small C-terminal domain phosphatase, Scp1. (2010) Protein Science. 19(5):974-86. DOI: 10.1002/pro.375
Bonanomi, D., Pfaff, S.L. Motor axon pathfinding. (2010) Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology. 2(3):a001735. DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a001735
Meyer, A., Gallarda, B.W., Pfaff, S., Alaynick, W. Spinal cord electrophysiology. (2010) J Vis Exp.(35) DOI: 10.3791/1660
Song, M.R., Sun, Y., Bryson, A., Gill, G.N., Evans, S.M., Pfaff, S.L. Islet-to-LMO stoichiometries control the function of transcription complexes that specify motor neuron and V2a interneuron identity. (2009) Development. 136(17):2923-32. DOI: 10.1242/dev.037986
Cao, X., Pfaff, S.L., Gage, F.H. YAP regulates neural progenitor cell number via the TEA domain transcription factor. (2008) Genes & Development. 22(23):3320-34. DOI: 10.1101/gad.1726608
Pfaff, S.L. Developmental neuroscience: Hox and Fox. (2008) Nature. 455(7211):295-7. DOI: 10.1038/455295a
Lee, S., Lee, B., Joshi, K., Pfaff, S.L., Lee, J.W., Lee, S.K. A regulatory network to segregate the identity of neuronal subtypes. (2008) Developmental Cell. 14(6):877-89. DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2008.03.021
Gallarda, B.W., Bonanomi, D., Müller, D., Brown, A., Alaynick, W.A., Andrews, S.E., Lemke, G., Pfaff, S.L., Marquardt, T. Segregation of axial motor and sensory pathways via heterotypic trans-axonal signaling. (2008) Science. 320(5873):233-6. DOI: 10.1126/science.1153758
Ma, Y.C., Song, M.R., Park, J.P., Henry Ho, H.Y., Hu, L., Kurtev, M.V., Zieg, J., Ma, Q., Pfaff, S.L., Greenberg, M.E. Regulation of motor neuron specification by phosphorylation of neurogenin 2. (2008) Neuron. 58(1):65-77. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2008.01.037
Ghosh, S., Marquardt, T., Thaler, J.P., Carter, N., Andrews, S.E., Pfaff, S.L., Hunter, T. Instructive role of aPKCzeta subcellular localization in the assembly of adherens junctions in neural progenitors. (2008) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 105(1):335-40. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0705713105
Lewcock, J.W., Genoud, N., Lettieri, K., Pfaff, S.L. The ubiquitin ligase Phr1 regulates axon outgrowth through modulation of microtubule dynamics. (2007) Neuron. 56(4):604-20. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2007.09.009
Fox, M.A., Sanes, J.R., Borza, D.B., Eswarakumar, V.P., Fässler, R., Hudson, B.G., John, S.W., Ninomiya, Y., Pedchenko, V., Pfaff, S.L., Rheault, M.N., Sado, Y., Segal, Y., Werle, M.J., Umemori, H. Distinct target-derived signals organize formation, maturation, and maintenance of motor nerve terminals. (2007) Cell. 129(1):179-93. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2007.02.035
Cao, X., Pfaff, S.L., Gage, F.H. A functional study of miR-124 in the developing neural tube. (2007) Genes & Development. 21(5):531-6. DOI: 10.1101/gad.1519207
Peng, C.Y., Yajima, H., Burns, C.E., Zon, L.I., Sisodia, S.S., Pfaff, S.L., Sharma, K. Notch and MAML signaling drives Scl-dependent interneuron diversity in the spinal cord. (2007) Neuron. 53(6):813-27. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2007.02.019
Odani, N., Pfaff, S.L., Nakamura, H., Funahashi, J. Cloning and developmental expression of a chick G-protein-coupled receptor SCGPR1. (2007) Gene Expression Patterns. 7(4):375-80. DOI: 10.1016/j.modgep.2006.12.003
Zhang, Y., Kim, Y., Genoud, N., Gao, J., Kelly, J.W., Pfaff, S.L., Gill, G.N., Dixon, J.E., Noel, J.P. Determinants for dephosphorylation of the RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain by Scp1. (2006) Molecular Cell. 24(5):759-70. DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2006.10.027
Song, M.R., Shirasaki, R., Cai, C.L., Ruiz, E.C., Evans, S.M., Lee, S.K., Pfaff, S.L. T-Box transcription factor Tbx20 regulates a genetic program for cranial motor neuron cell body migration. (2006) Development. 133(24):4945-55. DOI: 10.1242/dev.02694
Kashani, A.H., Qiu, Z., Jurata, L., Lee, S.K., Pfaff, S., Goebbels, S., Nave, K.A., Ghosh, A. Calcium activation of the LMO4 transcription complex and its role in the patterning of thalamocortical connections. (2006) Journal of Neuroscience. 26(32):8398-408. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0618-06.2006
Zhao, Y., Morales, D.C., Hermesz, E., Lee, W.K., Pfaff, S.L., Westphal, H. Reduced expression of the LIM-homeobox gene Lhx3 impairs growth and differentiation of Rathke's pouch and increases cell apoptosis during mouse pituitary development. (2006) Mechanisms of Development. 123(8):605-13. DOI: 10.1016/j.mod.2006.06.005
Shirasaki, R., Lewcock, J.W., Lettieri, K., Pfaff, S.L. FGF as a target-derived chemoattractant for developing motor axons genetically programmed by the LIM code. (2006) Neuron. 50(6):841-53. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2006.04.030
Song, M.R., Pfaff, S.L. Hox genes: the instructors working at motor pools. (2005) Cell. 123(3):363-5. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2005.10.014
Myers, C.P., Lewcock, J.W., Hanson, M.G., Gosgnach, S., Aimone, J.B., Gage, F.H., Lee, K.F., Landmesser, L.T., Pfaff, S.L. Cholinergic input is required during embryonic development to mediate proper assembly of spinal locomotor circuits. (2005) Neuron. 46(1):37-49. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2005.02.022
Marquardt, T., Shirasaki, R., Ghosh, S., Andrews, S.E., Carter, N., Hunter, T., Pfaff, S.L. Coexpressed EphA receptors and ephrin-A ligands mediate opposing actions on growth cone navigation from distinct membrane domains. (2005) Cell. 121(1):127-39. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2005.01.020
Goulding, M., Pfaff, S.L. Development of circuits that generate simple rhythmic behaviors in vertebrates. (2005) Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 15(1):14-20. DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2005.01.017
Lee, S.K., Jurata, L.W., Nowak, R., Lettieri, K., Kenny, D.A., Pfaff, S.L., Gill, G.N. The LIM domain-only protein LMO4 is required for neural tube closure. (2005) Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences. 28(2):205-14. DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2004.04.010
Lee, S.K., Lee, B., Ruiz, E.C., Pfaff, S.L. Olig2 and Ngn2 function in opposition to modulate gene expression in motor neuron progenitor cells. (2005) Genes & Development. 19(2):282-94. DOI: 10.1101/gad.1257105
Yeo, M., Lee, S.K., Lee, B., Ruiz, E.C., Pfaff, S.L., Gill, G.N. Small CTD phosphatases function in silencing neuronal gene expression. (2005) Science. 307(5709):596-600. DOI: 10.1126/science.1100801
Cepeda-Nieto, A.C., Pfaff, S.L., Varela-Echavarría, A. Homeodomain transcription factors in the development of subsets of hindbrain reticulospinal neurons. (2005) Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences. 28(1):30-41. DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2004.06.016
Pak, W., Hindges, R., Lim, Y.S., Pfaff, S.L., O'Leary, D.D. Magnitude of binocular vision controlled by islet-2 repression of a genetic program that specifies laterality of retinal axon pathfinding. (2004) Cell. 119(4):567-78. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2004.10.026
Schwander, M., Shirasaki, R., Pfaff, S.L., Müller, U. Beta1 integrins in muscle, but not in motor neurons, are required for skeletal muscle innervation. (2004) Journal of Neuroscience. 24(37):8181-91. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1345-04.2004
Weiner, J.A., Koo, S.J., Nicolas, S., Fraboulet, S., Pfaff, S.L., Pourquié, O., Sanes, J.R. Axon fasciculation defects and retinal dysplasias in mice lacking the immunoglobulin superfamily adhesion molecule BEN/ALCAM/SC1. (2004) Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences. 27(1):59-69. DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2004.06.005
Lee, S.K., Jurata, L.W., Funahashi, J., Ruiz, E.C., Pfaff, S.L. Analysis of embryonic motoneuron gene regulation: derepression of general activators function in concert with enhancer factors. (2004) Development. 131(14):3295-306. DOI: 10.1242/dev.01179
Thaler, J.P., Koo, S.J., Kania, A., Lettieri, K., Andrews, S., Cox, C., Jessell, T.M., Pfaff, S.L. A postmitotic role for Isl-class LIM homeodomain proteins in the assignment of visceral spinal motor neuron identity. (2004) Neuron. 41(3):337-50.
Cai, C.L., Liang, X., Shi, Y., Chu, P.H., Pfaff, S.L., Chen, J., Evans, S. Isl1 identifies a cardiac progenitor population that proliferates prior to differentiation and contributes a majority of cells to the heart. (2003) Developmental Cell. 5(6):877-89.
Lee, S.K., Pfaff, S.L. Synchronization of neurogenesis and motor neuron specification by direct coupling of bHLH and homeodomain transcription factors. (2003) Neuron. 38(5):731-45.
Koo, S.J., Pfaff, S.L. Fine-tuning motor neuron properties: signaling from the periphery. (2002) Neuron. 35(5):823-6.
Hu, W.Y., Myers, C.P., Kilzer, J.M., Pfaff, S.L., Bushman, F.D. Inhibition of retroviral pathogenesis by RNA interference. (2002) Current Biology. 12(15):1301-11.
Thaler, J.P., Lee, S.K., Jurata, L.W., Gill, G.N., Pfaff, S.L. LIM factor Lhx3 contributes to the specification of motor neuron and interneuron identity through cell-type-specific protein-protein interactions. (2002) Cell. 110(2):237-49.
Shirasaki, R., Pfaff, S.L. Transcriptional codes and the control of neuronal identity. (2002) Annual Review of Neuroscience. 25:251-81. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.neuro.25.112701.142916
Lee, S.K., Pfaff, S.L. Transcriptional networks regulating neuronal identity in the developing spinal cord. (2001) Nature Neuroscience. 4 Suppl:1183-91. DOI: 10.1038/nn750
Marquardt, T., Pfaff, S.L. Cracking the transcriptional code for cell specification in the neural tube. (2001) Cell. 106(6):651-4.
Lin, W., Burgess, R.W., Dominguez, B., Pfaff, S.L., Sanes, J.R., Lee, K.F. Distinct roles of nerve and muscle in postsynaptic differentiation of the neuromuscular synapse. (2001) Nature. 410(6832):1057-64. DOI: 10.1038/35074025
Sharma, K., Leonard, A.E., Lettieri, K., Pfaff, S.L. Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms contribute to motor neuron pathfinding. (2000) Nature. 406(6795):515-9. DOI: 10.1038/35020078
Brown, A., Yates, P.A., Burrola, P., Ortuño, D., Vaidya, A., Jessell, T.M., Pfaff, S.L., O'Leary, D.D., Lemke, G. Topographic mapping from the retina to the midbrain is controlled by relative but not absolute levels of EphA receptor signaling. (2000) Cell. 102(1):77-88.
Jurata, L.W., Thomas, J.B., Pfaff, S.L. Transcriptional mechanisms in the development of motor control. (2000) Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 10(1):72-9.
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Takuma, N., Sheng, H.Z., Furuta, Y., Ward, J.M., Sharma, K., Hogan, B.L., Pfaff, S.L., Westphal, H., Kimura, S., Mahon, K.A. Formation of Rathke's pouch requires dual induction from the diencephalon. (1998) Development. 125(23):4835-40.
Pfaff, S.L., Taylor, W.L. Xenopus TFIIIA gene transcription is dependent on cis-element positioning and chromatin structure. (1998) Molecular and Cellular Biology. 18(7):3811-8.
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BA, Biology, Carleton College
PhD, Molecular Biology, UC Berkeley
Postdoctoral Fellow, Vanderbilt University and the Center for Neurobiology at Columbia University