David H. Rowitch, MD/PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Harvard Medical School
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Department of Pediatric Oncology

MRRC Projects

R21
Functional Genomic Analysis of the Developing Cerebellum

Early events in oligodendrocyte development are poorly understood. The ventralizing signal Sonic hedgehog plays essential roles in the specification of neuronal sub-types (e.g., motor neurons) as well as oligodendrocytes.

However, transcription factors that may be involved in cellular differentiation during oligodendrocyte development in the central nervous system have not been identified. In order to gain further insight into this process, a PCR-based cloning strategy was employed in an effort to clone novel basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors from cortical neuroepithelial cells treated with agents to promote glial differentiation in culture.