Prof. Dr. med. Urs Gerber

 

Main Goals, Keywords

We are investigating 1) the roles for metabotropic receptors in glutamate neurotoxicity in a hippocampal slice model of cerebral ischemia, 2) the mechanisms leading to the neurotoxic accumulation of glutamate during ischemia, and 3) the signal transduction pathways that couple metabotropic glutamate receptors with various membrane ionic channels.

Group Members

1 group leader, 1 senior scientist, 2 PhD students

Previous and Current Research

Our main goal is to understand the circuits that process information coming into the hippocampus using an electrophysiological approach. We are analyzing responses obtained from paired recordings of granule cells and CA3 pyramidal cells, or from interneurons. We are also examining the effects of entorhinal input on hippocampal circuit dynamics. Our experiments involve recording membrane currents from neurons in slice cultures using the patch clamp method and imaging of intracellular calcium signals.

A further goal is the characterization of novel transduction mechanisms that target ion channels. We are studying how metabotropic glutamate receptors activate Src kinase to modulate the properties of NMDA receptors and TRP channels.

Future Projects

Making use of our extensive data base on mGluR function, we intend to study the effects of selectively stimulating or blocking mGluRs on the initiation and development of ischemic damage in the hippocampus. Concerning our project on tyrosine kinase-mediated modulation of metabotropic currents, we will look for evidence of cross-talk at the signal transduction level between responses initiated by neurotrophic receptors and mGluRs.

Techniques and Equipment

Set-ups for electrophysiological recording form neurons with the patch clamp technique or with sharp microelectrodes. One set-up for simultaneous recording of electrophysiological activity and optical imaging of changes in intracellular calcium concentration in real time.

Selected Publications

• Brunner J, Ster J, Van-Weert S, Andrási T, Neubrandt M, Corti C, Corsi M, Ferraguti F, Gerber U, Szabadics J. Selective Silencing of Individual Dendritic Branches by an mGlu2-Activated Potassium Conductance in Dentate Gyrus Granule Cells. J Neurosci. 2013 Apr 24;33(17):7285-98. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4537-12.2013.
• Coiret G, Ster J, Grewe B, Wendling F, Helmchen F, Gerber U, Benquet P. Neuron to astrocyte communication via cannabinoid receptors is necessary for sustained epileptiform activity in rat hippocampus. PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e37320. Epub 2012 May 15.
• Ster J, Mateos JM, Grewe BF, Coiret G, Corti C, Corsi M, Helmchen F, Gerber U. Enhancement of CA3 hippocampal network activity by activation of group II metabotropic glutamate receptors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Jun 14;108(24):9993-7. Epub 2011 May 31.
• Fan, W., Ster, J., Gerber, U.  Activation conditions for the induction of metabotropic glutamate receptor-dependent long-term depression in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells. J Neurosci. Jan 27;30(4):1471-5 (2010).

Selected Lectures, Seminars, Colloquia

Aktuelle Neurobiologie. Literatur-Kolloquium. M.E. Schwab, P. Streit, U. Gerber.

Funding

Swiss National Science Foundation (31-45547.95), Stiftung Prof. Dr. Max Cloëtta

URL

www.uzh.ch/hifo