Biosketch                Top

Dr. Lin obtained his Ph.D. in Neurobiology from the State University of New York at Albany in 1996. He then moved to the Salk Institute at La Jolla, CA, as a postdoctoral fellow and research associate. He joined the faculty at the Center for Basic Neuroscience in 2003.

 Research                  Top

Research in Dr. Lin's lab is focused on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying formation, maintenance and plasticity of synapses. Using mouse neuromuscular junction as a model, his laboratory  studies initial cellular/molecular events triggering synapse formation, and mechanisms regulating synaptic patterning and motor neuron survival during development, with approaches combining molecular biology, biochemistry, electrophysiology and mouse genetics.

 Recent Publications             Top 

Primary Research Articles

Yun Liu, Oppenheim, R. W., Sugiura, Y., and Weichun Lin. (2009). Abnormal development of the neuromuscular junction in Nedd4-deficient mice. Developmental Biology, 330:153-166.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2009.03.023

Yun Liu, Daniel Padgett, Masazumi Takahashi, Hongqiao Li, Ayaz Sayeed, Russell W. Teichert, Baldomero M. Olivera, Joseph McArdle, William N. Green, and Weichun Lin (2008), Essential roles of acetylcholine receptor gamma-subunit in neuromuscular synaptic patterning. Development, 135: 1957-1967. http://dev.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/135/11/1957.pdf?ijkey=tucH3itqlf2kVmM&keytype=finite featured in Editorial Highlight in Development; selected by Faculty of 1000 http://www.f1000biology.com/article/id/1109502

Zhiping P. Pang, Ernestina Melicoff, Daniel Padgett, Yun Liu, Andrew F. Teich, Burton F. Dickey, Weichun Lin, Roberto Adachi, and Thomas Sudhof (2006).  Synaptotagmin-2 is essential for survival and contributes to Ca2 triggering of neurotransmitter release in central and neuromuscular synapses.  J. Neurosci. 26:13493-13504.

Susanne Schoch, Tobias Mittelstaedt, Pascal S. Kaeser, Daniel Padgett, Nicole Feldmann, Vivien Cgeveleyre, Pablo E. Cassillo, Robert Hammer, Weiping Han, Frank Schmitz, Weichun Lin, and Thomas Sudhof (2006) Redundant functions of RIM1-alpha and RIM2-alpha in Calcium triggered neurotransmitter release.  EMBO Journal 25:5852-5863.

Weiping Han, Jeong-Seop Rhee, Anton Maximov, Weichun Lin, Robert Hammer, Christian Rosenmund and Thomas Sudhof (2005). C-terminal ECFP fusion impairs synaptotagmin-1 function: crowdingout synaptotagmin1.  JBC 280:5089-5100.

Weichun Lin, Bertha Dominguez, Jiefei Yang, Prafulla Aryal, Eugene P. Brandon, Fred H. Gage and Kuo-Fen Lee (2005) Neurotransmitter acetylcholine negatively regulates   neuromuscular synapse formation through a Cdk5-dependent mechanism. Neuron, 46:569-579

Eugene P. Brandon*, Weichun Lin*, Kevin A. D'Amour, Donald P. Pizzo, Bertha Dominguez, Yoshie Sugiura, Sile Thode, Chien-Ping Ko, Leon J. Thal, Fred H. Gage and Kuo-Fen Lee (2003).  Aberrant patterning of neuromuscular synapses in choline acetyltransferase deficient mice.  Journal of Neuroscience 23:539-549.  *Co-first author

Weichun Lin, Robert Burgess, Bertha Dominguez, Samuel Pfaff, Joshua Sanes and Kuo-Fen Lee (2001).  Distinct roles of nerve and muscle in postsynaptic differentiation of the neuromuscular synapse. Nature 410:1057-1064.

Weichun Lin, Hugo Sanchez, Tom Deerinck, Jacqueline K. Morris, Mark Ellisam and Kuo-Fen Lee (2000). Abnormal development of motor axons and neuromuscular synapses in erbB2-deficient mice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A 97: 1299-1304

Jacqueline K. Morris*, Weichun Lin*, Chris Hauser, Yelena Marchuk, Damon Getman, and Kuo-Fen Lee (1999) Rescue of cardiac defect in erbB2 null mutant mice reveals essential roles of erbB2 in peripheral nervous system development. Neuron 23: 273-283. * *Co-first author

Weichun Lin and Ben G. Szaro (1996) Effects of intermediate filament disruption on the early development of the peripheral nervous system of Xenopus laevis. Developmental Biology 179: 197-211. 

Weichun Lin and Ben G. Szaro (1995) Neurofilaments help maintain normal morphologies and support elongation of neurites in Xenopus laevis cultured embryonic spinal cord neurons. Journal of Neuroscience 15:8331-8344.

Weichun Lin and Ben G. Szaro (1994) Maturation of neurites in mixed cultures of spinal cord neurons and muscle cells from Xenopus laevis embryos followed with antibodies to neurofilament proteins. Journal of Neurobiology 25: 1235-1248.

John T. Schmidt, Rupert Schmidt, Weichun Lin, Xiaoying Jian and Claudia Stuermer (1991) Ependymin as a substrate for outgrowth of axons from cultured explant of goldfish retina. Journal of Neurobiology 22: 40-54.

Current Lab Staff               Top

Postdoctoral Fellows

Past Lab Memebers

Rooms NB4.219
Telephone: 214-648-5197