Neuronal signals are processed in vertebrate CNS through parallel synaptic pathways. These synaptic pathways are formed with distinct cellular and molecular components and, in some cases, regulated by different mechanisms during development. In many parts of CNS, including the visual system, a fundamental anatomical feature of the parallel synaptic pathways is the histologically discrete laminar structure. The cellular and molecular specificity of the laminar structure appears to be a major determinant of the specific synaptic pathways.
In vertebrate retina, synaptic pathways processing different aspects of visual signals are also formed with different neuronal subtypes and synaptic structures in distinct laminae. This laminar structure is not mature at birth and continues to develop during postnatal ages in most mammalian retinas.
Dr. Tian’s research aims to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms, which regulate the development of the retinal synaptic pathways and the formation of the laminar structure, and how these mechanisms are modulated under normal and pathological conditions. The lab’s principal strategies are to examine retinal ganglion cell (RGC) synaptic connectivity and activity at different tages of development under normal and pathological conditions and to test specific hypotheses.
In 2021, the lab published findings of the discovery of a new type of nerve cell in the retina, a notable development for the field as scientists work toward a better understanding of the central nervous system by identifying all classes of neurons and their connections.
NIH Funding FY25:
Mechanisms Underlying CD3zeta Guided Assembly of Retinal Circuits ($381,250)