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Cheryl M. Craft

Mary D. Allen Chair in Vision Research, Doheny Eye Institute and Professor

Ophthalmology and Cell & Neurobiology
Keck School of Medicine

Send E-mail to:   ccraft@usc.eduWebpage: http://eyesightresearch.org/
Telephone: 323-442-6692Fax: 323-442-6744
Office: DVRC 405-408Mail Code: 9224 HSC

Education:
BS(Honors) 1969 Bio./Chem./Math - Valdosta State College, Georgia
PhD 1984 Cellular & Structural Biology/Neuroscience - University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship:
1984 - 1986 National Eye Institute, National Institute of Child Health & Human Development/National Institute of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

Started at USC: 1994

Research Topics: G-protein coupled receptors, Arrestins, Signal Transduction, Vision Research, Neurogenetics, Cellular Neurobiology, Age-related Macular Degeneration, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Gene Therapy

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Research Description

The research goals of the Mary D. Allen Laboratory for Vision Research include understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating vision and the biological clock. Clinical and basic science overlap and complement each other and are focused to a long term objective of determining the genetic etiology and prevention of visual loss. My research uses a multidiscipline approach including biochemical and cellular techniques to address questions of how the visual system works and is regulated by light and dark periods throughout the circadian cycle.

Dr. Craft's group studies the cone photoreceptor G-protein coupled receptor signal transduction cascade from the molecular and biochemical level to examining the physiological phenotype of various mice genetically engineered to target specific genes encoding cone phototransduction proteins, including the visual arrestins (Zhu et al., 2003). We discovered the visual arrestins and identified the high expression and essential role of recovery shared by both Arrestin 1 and Arrestin 4 (cone arrestin) in cones (Nikonov et al., 2008).  The NIH National Eye Institute funded studies include the structure and functional pathways of the visual arrestins and G-protein receptor kinase 1 in down regulation utilizing these knockouts.  Currently, we are creating transgenic mice to restore an alternative spliced forms of cone arrestin on the Arr4 null background.

Our studies also explore the photoreceptor synaptic function of the visual arrestins and their role in the regulation of the SNARE complex through interactions with the ATPase N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor (NSF). Ongoing studies include techniques such as 2-D gel analysis of proteins and Affymetrix Gene Chip technology to determine the genes that are regulated and modulated in phototransduction that may be critical for the long term survival of the retina. We also utilize yeast two-hybrid screening of retinal libraries to examine protein-protein interactions. Collaborative work includes using gene therapy to target cones and to rescue defective phototransduction pathways to retain the cytoarchitecture and physiology of the degenerating retina.



10 Selected Publications:
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Whitcomb TL,Sakurai K,Brown BM,Young JE,Sheflin L,Dlugos C,Craft CM,Kefalov VJ,Khani SC - Effect of G Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase 1 (Grk1) Overexpression on Rod Photoreceptor Cell Viability. - Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci [2009] Oct 15;(): PubMed

Jammoul F,Wang Q,Nabbout R,Coriat C,Duboc A,Simonutti M,Dubus E,Craft CM,Ye W,Collins SD,Dulac O,Chiron C,Sahel JA,Picaud S - Taurine deficiency is a cause of vigabatrin-induced retinal phototoxicity. - Ann Neurol [2009] Jan;65():98-107 PubMed

Nikonov SS,Brown BM,Davis JA,Zuniga FI,Bragin A,Pugh EN Jr,Craft CM - Mouse cones require an arrestin for normal inactivation of phototransduction. - Neuron [2008] Aug 14;59():462-74 PubMed

Wang QP,Jammoul F,Duboc A,Gong J,Simonutti M,Dubus E,Craft CM,Ye W,Sahel JA,Picaud S - Treatment of epilepsy: the GABA-transaminase inhibitor, vigabatrin, induces neuronal plasticity in the mouse retina. - Eur J Neurosci [2008] Apr;27():2177-87 PubMed

Chan S,Rubin WW,Mendez A,Liu X,Song X,Hanson SM,Craft CM,Gurevich VV,Burns ME,Chen J - Functional comparisons of visual arrestins in rod photoreceptors of transgenic mice. - Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci [2007] May;48():1968-75 PubMed

Zhu X,Brown B,Rife L,Craft CM - Slowed photoresponse recovery and age-related degeneration in cones lacking G protein-coupled receptor kinase 1. - Adv Exp Med Biol [2006] ;572():133-9 PubMed

Haire SE,Pang J,Boye SL,Sokal I,Craft CM,Palczewski K,Hauswirth WW,Semple-Rowland SL - Light-driven cone arrestin translocation in cones of postnatal guanylate cyclase-1 knockout mouse retina treated with AAV-GC1. - Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci [2006] Sep;47():3745-53 PubMed

Bobu C,Craft CM,Masson-Pevet M,Hicks D - Photoreceptor organization and rhythmic phagocytosis in the nile rat Arvicanthis ansorgei: a novel diurnal rodent model for the study of cone pathophysiology. - Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci [2006] Jul;47():3109-18 PubMed

Zhu X,Wu K,Rife L,Cawley NX,Brown B,Adams T,Teofilo K,Lillo C,Williams DS,Loh YP,Craft CM - Carboxypeptidase E is required for normal synaptic transmission from photoreceptors to the inner retina. - J Neurochem [2005] Dec;95():1351-62 PubMed

Nikonov SS,Daniele LL,Zhu X,Craft CM,Swaroop A,Pugh EN Jr - Photoreceptors of Nrl -/- mice coexpress functional S- and M-cone opsins having distinct inactivation mechanisms. - J Gen Physiol [2005] Mar;125():287-304 PubMed


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