# ANATOMY OF REGULATORY GENES IN FOREBRAIN DEVELOPMENT

> **NIH NIH K08** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 1994 · $80,730

## Abstract

Research proposal: Cortical development depends on a sequence of cellular
interactions involving growth factors and neurotransmitters.  In adult
brain, these molecules induce the rapid and transient expression of
proteins that may control long-term responses.  Analogous novel
regulatory genes, induced by synaptic activity and expressed at high
levels, at critical periods, in developing cortex were identified in Dr.
Worley's laboratory by molecular cloning techniques.  Adr-1 encodes a 45
kD protein with homology to spectrin, that appears to be brain specific
and expressed during the critical postnatal period, suggesting a link
between extracellular stimuli and changes in neuronal morphology.  Rasp
encodes a GTP-binding protein with homology to ras (40% identity) and rap
(45% identity) and is expressed in the prenatal rat cortex.  Like ras,
rasp transforms NIH3T3 cells, indicating an active role in cellular
signalling.

The central hypothesis is that physiological activity induces the
expression of both adr-1 and rasp and also modulates their intracellular
localization.  This will be tested, in normal rat cortex, in Aims 1 and
2, respectively.  After obtaining this basic framework, a similar study
will be performed in two animal models, characterized by decreased
cortical input, and relevant for mental retardation: rats with
nutritional-environmental deprivation and mice with basal forebrain
neonatal lesions (Aims 3 and 4).

Environment: Dr. Kaufmann's activities will be in the context of the
Mental Retardation Center, which comprises several research groups
studying different aspects of development relevant to mental retardation
such as gene expression in brain development.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2194589
- **Project number:** 5K08HD001046-02
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** FTMTDMBR29C7
- **Principal Investigator:** WALTER ERWIN KAUFMANN
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1994
- **Award amount:** $80,730
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1993-08-01 → 1998-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2194589

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2194589, ANATOMY OF REGULATORY GENES IN FOREBRAIN DEVELOPMENT (5K08HD001046-02). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2194589. Licensed CC0.

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