Dr. Jenn Ziegenfuss was a postdoc in the lab from 2012-2018. Her research explored the underlying biology of aging, neuron-substrate interactions, and the long-term maintenance & protection of neuron morphology and function. She also collaborated with the Shirasu-Hiza lab in their finding that Fragile X model flies exhibit impaired innate immunity and reduced engulfment activity in glia, highlighting new mechanistic connections between Fragile X, innate immunity, and CNS development. While in the lab, Jenn was a Charles H. Revson postdoctoral fellow. Prior to joining the lab, she received her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Medical School where she worked in the lab of Marc Freeman, Ph.D. There, she explored how glial cells recognize and respond to dying and degenerating neurons. Her work showed that glial activation, phagocytosis of axonal debris, and termination of responses to neurodegeneration are genetically separable events mediated by distinct signaling pathways. Additionally, she helped identify a cell-autonomous suppressor of Wallerian degeneration, providing direct evidence that axons actively promote their own destruction.
Selected Publications
O'Connor R.M., Stone E.F., Wayne C.R., Marcinkevicius E.V., Ulgherait M., Delventhal R., Pantalia M.M., Hill V.M., Zhou C.G., McAllister S., Chen A., Ziegenfuss J.S., Grueber W.B., Canman J.C., and Shirasu-Hiza M.M. (2017) A Drosophila model of Fragile X syndrome exhibits defects in phagocytosis by innate immune cells. Journal of Cell Biology March 6;216(3):595-605.
Ziegenfuss J.S. and Grueber W.B. (2013) SAX-7 and Menorin Light the Path for Dendrite Morphogenesis. Cell Oct 10:155(2)269-71.
Ziegenfuss J.S., Doherty J., and Freeman M.R. (2012) Distinct molecular pathways mediate glial activation and engulfment of axonal debris after axotomy. Nature Neuroscience 15(7):979-87.
Osterloh J.M., Yang J., Rooney T.M., Fox A.N., Adalbert R., Powell E.H., Sheehan A.E., Avery M.A., Hackett R., Logan M.A., MacDonald J.M., Ziegenfuss J.S., Milde S., Hou Y.J., Nathan C., Ding A., Brown R.H. Jr, Conforti L., Coleman M., Tessier-Lavigne M., Züchner S., and Freeman M.R. (2012) dSarm/Sarm1 governs a novel injury-induced axon death pathway. Science 337(6093):481-4.
Ziegenfuss J.S., Biswas R., Avery A., Hong K., Sheehan A.E., Yeung T.E., Stanley E.R., and Freeman M.R. (2008) Draper-dependent glial phagocytic activity is mediated by Src and Sky family kinase signalling. Nature 453(197):935-9.