Steven S. Scherer, MD, PhD

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				Steven S. Scherer, M.D., Ph.D. Professor, Dept of Neurology School of Medicine 460 Stemmler Hall/6077 (215) 573-3198 FAX: (215) 573-4454 email: sscherer@mail.med.upenn.edu Click here for selected publications since Dr. Scherer's arrival at Penn RESEARCH INTERESTS How axon-Schwann cell interactions regulate the development and regeneration of peripheral nerve and the pathogenesis of peripheral neuropathy. My current projects relate to (1) the role of connexin32 in the pathogenesis of inherited demyelinating neuropathy, (2) how the myelin sheath organizes the structure of the axon, (3) the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy, and (4) the role of Schwann cells in axonal regeneration. RESEARCH TECHNIQUES Light, confocal, and electron microscopy, immunocytochemistry, creating and analyzing transgenic mice, Northern and Western blotting, microarray analysis of gene expression, Schwann cell culture, transfecting cells. RESEARCH SUMMARY My main interest is the pathogenesis of inherited demyelinating neuropathies, particularly the role of a gap junction protein, connexin32, in the myelin sheath. Mutations in the connexin32 gene cause one form of inherited demyelinating neuropathy in humans (and in mice), and my colleagues and I showed that the connexin32 is localized in myelin sheaths, that myelin sheaths have functional gap junctions, and that many connexin32 mutants have abnormal trafficking. We are actively studying how connexin32 mutants cause demyelinating in Schwann cells, and how some connexin32 mutants may affect the other connexins expressed by myelinating Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes. Our second area of active investigation is the molecular organization of myelinated axons - the basis for saltatory conduction. We are investigating the role of two K+ channels in axonal conduction. In addition, we are examining how the axonal membrane is reorganized during demyelination and remyelination. These findings have important implications for restoring conduction in demyelinating diseases. Figure 3. Cytoplasmic domains in myelinating Schwann cells. Panel A is a confocal image of three teased fibers from a rat sciatic nerve, double-labeled with a rabbit antiserum against DRP2 (gift of Dr. Diane Sherman; FITC) and a mouse monoclonal antibody against caveolin-1 (TRITC). A node (apposed arrowheads) and two nuclei (n) are indicated. Panel B is a drawing made by Ramon y Cajal (1928) of teased fibers from an adult cat, stained with reduced silver (used with permission of Oxford University Press). He subdivided the Schwann cell cytoplasm into a "perinuclear mass", "longitudinal stripes", and "transverse trabeculae"; as shown in panel A, the Schwann cell membrane in these regions contains caveolin-1 but not DRP2. Scale bar: 10 mm. The Scherer Lab