James M. Fadool, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
A.B., Albion College, 1985
Ph.D., Michigan State University, 1992
Post Doc, University of Florida, 1992-1994
Post Doc, Harvard University, 1994-1997
Embryology, Development of the Visual System, Zebrafish Genetics
Department of Biological Science
Florida State University
235 BRF
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4340
TEL: 850-644-3550
E-MAIL:
jfadool@bio.fsu.edu
Back to JFadool at FSU
Honors/Awards
Webster Merit Scholarship, Albion College
NIH/NEI Postdoctoral Trainee, The Whitney Laboratory, University of Florida, 1992-1993.
NIH/NEI Postdoctoral Fellow, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 1994-1997.
Research/Interests
Our research goal is to identify fundamental mechanisms
governing the development of the vertebrate central nervous system
through systematic genetic and molecular analyses. We concentrate our
efforts on the neural retina, the photosensitive lining of the back of the
eye. Like many regions of the brain, the anatomical organization,
biochemical processes and gene expression patterns in the retina are
conserved in virtually all vertebrate species. Our hope is that an
understanding of the pathways that regulate gene expression and
ultimately cellular differentiation in the neural retina will aid in the
identification and management of genetic disorders affecting the visual
system such as retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration and glaucoma.
As a genetic model of vertebrate development, we utilize the
zebrafish (Danio rerio), a small fresh water teleost. To uncover novel
genes or novel gene functions in pathways involved in eye development, a
systematic screen for mutations was conducted in the laboratory of
Professor John E. Dowling, at Harvard University (Dev. Genetics 20:288
295). We recovered numerous mutations affecting the development of the
eye. The phenotypes range from patterning defects, loss of specific cells
types in the retina to degenerations of the retina. These mutations provide
a resource to genetically dissect the biochemical pathways involved in the
development and function of the affected systems. The characterization
of the existing mutations and the search for new mutations are continuing
in my laboratory.
The second project in the lab takes advantage of our recently
developed methodology for transgenesis as a method to identify genes important to
zebrafish development. The novel method utilizes a transposable
elements, or "jumping gene" as a universal vector for transgenic fish.
Transposons are naturally occurring genetic elements capable of moving
from one chromosomal location to another. We have demonstrated that
the mariner element, from the fruit fly, Drosophila mauritiana (P.N.A.S.
USA, 1998), can be successfully employed to generate transgenic
zebrafish. The demonstration that a transposon from the fruit fly can function
in such a diverse organism as the zebrafishin in itself is a very exciting finding.
The current objective is to apply this novel technique, to tag genes in the
zebrafish and screen for transcriptionally active regions of the genome.
We recently described a novel cellular arrangement to the photoreceptors of
the zebrafish retina using a transgenic line expressing fluorescent reporter
genes (eGFP) under the control of cell specific promoter (Dev Biol, 2003).
Taking advantage of the optical clarity of the zebrafish embryo and recent
advances in microscopy and analysis tools, we identified a mosaic organization
to the rod photoreceptors. We continue to take full advantage of this and other
transgenic lines as powerful experimental models to screen for mutations and
chemicals to identify pathways essential for cellular differentiation and patterning.
Transposon Strategy
Selected Publications
Fadool, J.M., Brockerhoff, S.E., Hyatt, G.A. and Dowling, J.E. (1997)
Mutations affecting eye morphology in the developing zebrafish (Danio
rerio). Dev. Genetics. 20:288-295. ABSTRACT
Fadool, J.M., Hartl, D.L. and Dowling, J.E. (1998) Transposition of the
mariner element from Drosophila mauritiana in zebrafish (Danio rerio).
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95:5182-5186.ABSTRACT
Link, B.A., Fadool, J.M., Malicki, J., Dowling, J.E. (2000) The zebrafish
young mutation acts non-cell-autonomously to uncouple differentiation from specification
for all retinal cells. Development 127:2177-2188.ABSTRACT
Peterson, R.E., Fadool, J.M., McClintock, J. and Linser, P.J. (2001)
Muller cell differentiation in the zebrafish neural retina: Evidence of distinct early and
late stages of cellular maturation. J. Comp. Neurol. 429(4):530-540. ABSTRACT
Fadool, J.M. (2001) Understanding retinal cell fate determination through genetic manipulations.
Prog Brain Res. 131:541-54.
McCune, A.R., Fuller, R.C., Aquilina, A.A., Dawley, R.M., Fadool, J.M., Houle, D., Travis, J.,
Kondrashov, A.S. (2002) A low genomic number of recessive lethals in natural populations of
bluefin killifish and zebrafish. Science 296:2398-401. Abstract
Gregg, R.G., Willer, G.B., Fadool, J.M., Dowling, J.E., Link, B.A. (2003)
Positional cloning of the young mutation identifies an essential role for the
Brahma chromatin remodeling complex in mediating retinal cell differentiation.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 100:6535-40. Abstract
Fadool, J.M.. (2003) Development of a rod photoreceptor mosaic revealed in
transgenic zebrafish. Dev Biol. 258: 277-90. Abstract
Ochrietor, J.D., Moroz, T.P., van Ekeris, L., Clamp, M.F., Jefferson, S.C., deCarvalho, A.C.,
Fadool, J.M., Wistow, G., Muramatsu, T., Linser, P.J. (2003) Retina-specific expression of 5A11/Basigin-2,
a member of the immunoglobulin gene superfamily. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 44:4086-96.
Abstract
Fadool, J.M.. (2003) Rod photoreceptor cell development in the teleost as a model
for neural stem cells. Exp. Neurol. (in press).
GFP expression in Transgenic Zebrafish
Driven by Xenopus Rhodopsin Promotor
Photoreceptor Cell Mosaic eGFP Expression 80 hpf
Vector kindly provided by David Papermaster, UCONN
ZEBRAFISH AT MBL
BSC 1005 Biology for Non-majors
PCB 4365 Animal Development
Department of Biological Science
Florida State University