Pembe Hande Ozdinler, PhD
Assistant Professor

303 East Chicago Ave, Ward 10-132
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 503-2774

Corticospinal motor neurons (CSMN) are large excitatory projection neurons that are located in layer V of motor cortex, and project to spinal targets. Together with spinal motor neurons CSMN degenerate in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), their degeneration gives rise to hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) and primary lateral sclerosis (PLS). CSMN degeneration is also one major reason of long term paralysis in spinal cord injury. This neuron population is clinically relevant and understanding their biology is not only important, but is also a necessity to building effective treatment strategies in the future.

We developed novel in vitro approaches to investigate sub-type specific neuron populations of the cortex with high precision and purity. We can retrogradely label, isolate and purify subtype specific neuron populations from the complex structure of the brain and analyze them in great detail both in vitro and in vivo. Our goal is to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms for their cell-type specific degeneration in disease. In our lab we use mice models of motor neuron disorders to further investigate CSMN biology in relation to disease initiation and progression.

Ozdinler lab is supported by Les Turner ALS Foundation and Wenske Foundation. http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/newsworthy/2008B-November/als.html
http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/research/news/2008/als.html

Dr. Ozdinler is trained as a molecular biologist and received her Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics, and her Master’s degree in Biotechnology on a joint program between Molecular Biology and Genetics, and Chemical Engineering Departments of Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey. She then moved to United States and earned her PhD in Cell Biology, Anatomy and Neuroscience at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.  She completed her post-doctoral studies at the Neurosurgery Department of Mass. General Hospital-Harvard Medical School, before becoming an Instructor. She is now an Assistant Professor at the Neurology Department of Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine.

Ozdinler lab is focused on the “upper” motor neuron component of ALS, and uses both in vitro and in vivo applications to investigate CSMN biology in detail. Ozdinler lab is the second lab at Northwestern to be supported by the Les Turner ALS foundation.

• Ozdinler PH, and Macklis JD. (2006) IGF-I specifically enhances axon outgrowth of corticospinal motor neurons. Nature Neuroscience.  Nov;9(11):1371-81
• Steele AD, Emsley JG, Ozdinler PH, Lindquist S, Macklis JD. (2006) Prion protein (PrPc) positively regulates neural precursor proliferation during developmental and adult mammalian neurogenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 103(9):3416-21
• Ozdinler PH, Ulupinar E, Erzurumlu RS.  (2005) Dose and age-dependent axonal responses of embryonic trigeminal neurons to localized NGF via p75NTR receptor. Journal of Neurobiolgy. 62(2):189-206.
• Genç B, Ozdinler PH, Mendoza AE, Erzurumlu RS. (2004) A chemoattractant role for NT-3 in proprioceptive axon guidance. PLoS Biol. 2(12)
• Ozdinler PH, Erzurumlu RS. (2002) Slit2, a branching-arborization factor for sensory axons in the Mammalian CNS. Journal of Neuroscience. 22(11):4540-9.
• Ozdinler PH, Erzurumlu RS. (2001) Regulation of neurotrophin-induced axonal responses via Rho GTPases. Journal of Comparative Neurology. 438(4):377-87.