Lu, Tsai-Yi
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Neuroscience
Education
- Ph.D., University of Massachusetts
- Postdoc Scholar, UCLA
- Postdoc Research Fellow, Johns Hopkins University
Contact Information
409 Lane Road, MR4-6112
Charlottesville, Virginia 22903
Telephone: 20064
Email: xjv8bn@virginia.edu
Research Disciplines
Neuroimmunology, Neuroscience
Research Interests
Neuron-glia communications, brain plasticity and homeostasis, glial responses to neurodegeneration
Research Description
Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs, or NG2 glia) comprise the largest pool of progenitor cells in the brain and continuously generate myelin-producing oligodendrocytes throughout our life until aging onset. However, how OPCs decide to commit to differentiating into oligodendrocytes and the mechanisms mediating their continual renewal have not been fully understood. My laboratory recently discovered that neurotransmitters released from neurons modulate OPC fate choices, suggesting that neuron-OPC communications play a role in myelin homeostasis, which is foundational to neuronal health and function. To understand the biological mechanisms underlying these interactions, my laboratory employs a variety of in vivo imaging approaches combined with transgenic mouse models, primary cell cultures, viral gene delivery, pharmacology, and histology, to systematically examine the distinct stages of oligodendrocyte lineage progression under both physiological and pathological conditions.