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Warren G. Tourtellotte, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Pathology
Associate Professor of Neurology
Scientific Director, Transgenic and Targeted Mutagenesis Laboratory
Ward 7-112
303 E. Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
warren@northwestern.edu
http://www.tourtellotte.northwestern.edu
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Phone: (312) 503-2415
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Anatomic Pathology Division
Neuropathology
Medical School
University of Iowa College of Medicine
Site of Residency
Washington University Medical Center
Site of Fellowship
Washington University Medical Center
Research Interests
The early growth response (Egr) family of transcription factors are involved in cellular growth and differentiation and may play a role as initiation and propagation factors in some cancers. A major focus of our research is to understand the role of Egr transcription factors during development of the mammalian nervous system. We and others have discovered that these transcription factors regulate a variety of developmental processes including hindbrain organization, peripheral nerve myelination, sympathetic nervous system development, male and female fertility, induction of late phase long term potentiation (a form of synaptic plasticity) and muscle mechanoreceptor development. In the nervous system, Egr transcription factors are downstream signaling mediators of neuronal activity and growth factor molecules known as neurotrophins. We are actively exploring their role in mediating a variety of neurotrophin actions that include neurite outgrowth, synaptic vesicle protein regulation and muscle stretch receptor development. As plasticity related transcription factors, Egr genes are important for mediating nervous system adaptation to a variety of developmental and environmental stimuli.
Egr transcription factors are also essential for some non-nervous system related developmental processes. For example, they are involved in monocyte and thymocyte development, and they are involved in growth and differentiation of pheochromocytoma and neuroblastoma tumors. Using these model systems of differentiation, we are exploring the varied developmental pathways and target genes regulated by Egr transcription factors to elucidate their roles in cancer and developmental biology.
Selected Publications
Whitehead J, Keller-Peck C, Kucera J, Tourtellotte WG. Glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor-dependent fusimotor neuron survival during development. Mech Dev. 122:27-41, 2005
Albert Y, Whitehead J, Eldredge L, Carter J, Gao X, Tourtellotte WG. Transcriptional regulation of myotube fate specification and intrafusal muscle fiber morphogenesis. J Cell Biol. 169:257-68, 2005
Li L, Carter J, Gao X, Whitehead J, Tourtellotte WG. The neuroplasticity-associated arc gene is a direct transcriptional target of early growth response (Egr) transcription factors.
Mol Cell Biol 25:10286-300, 2005.
View more Publications by Warren G. Tourtellotte, MD, PhD
listed in the National Library of Medicine (PubMed)
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