Ivana Delalle

Associate Professor

Education:

Residency in Pathology/Neuropathology – Mass General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

M.D./ Ph.D, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia

General field of research:

Neuropathology

Affiliations other than medicine:

Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research

Pathology

Neurology

Contact information:

Office
R 907
Phone: (617)-414 7014

Lab
715 Albany St
Phone: (617)-414 7013
Fax: (617)-414 7002

idelalle@bu.edu

Other research websites:

http://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm-pathology/busm-faculty-profiles/i-delalle-md-phd/

Research group information

Immunobiology of Trauma

Keywords:

Brain Injury

Summary of research interest:

Cytoskeleton  in neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration:
The survival of neurons may be affected by abnormalities in their processes called neurites.  Extension of normal neurites requires coordinated interactions between cytoskeletal networks of microfilaments (composed of F-actin) and microtubules (formed by tubulin) in growth cones, structures at the tip of growing neurites.  Capping protein (CP) regulates F-actin assembly.  Mutations in either alpha or beta CP subunit result in demise of photoreceptors in Drosophila.  However, the function of CP subunits in mammalian neurons remains unclear.  We have shown that, surprisingly, the neuronal CP beta subunit, Capzb2, inhibits microtubule polymerization by direct interaction with tubulin.  This function of Capzb2 is indispensable for the normal shape of growth cones and the appropriate length of neurites.

Recent publications:

Saad A, Jayarao M, Chin L, Delalle I. Ganglioma associated with cerebral cortical dysplasia: an unusual case with leptomeningeal involvement.  2008.  Pediatr Dev Pathol.; Feb 25:1.

Saad A, Tuli S, Ali EN, Houtchens M, Delalle I, Kesari S. 2008.  Pilocytic astrocytoma of the spinal cord in an adult. J Neurooncol.; 88(2):189-191.

Kim D, Nguyen MD, Dobbin MM, Fischer A, Sananbenesi F, Rodgers JT, Delalle I, Baur JA, Sui G, Armour  SM, Puigserver P, Sinclair DA, Tsai L-H. 2007.  SIRT1 deacetylase protects against neurodegeneration in models  for Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The EMBO Journal; 26/13:3169-79.

Kim D, Frank CL, Dobbin MM, Tsunemoto RK, Tu W, Peng PL, Guan JS, Lee BH, Moy LY, Giusti P, Broodie N, Mazitschek R, Delalle I, Haggarty SJ, Neve RL, Lu Y, Tsai L-H.  2008.  Deregulation of HDAC1 by p25/Cdk5 in neurotoxicity. Neuron; 60(5): 803-817.

Davis DA, Wilson MH, Giraud J, Xie Z, Tseng H-C, England C, Hersckovitz H, Tsai L-H, Delalle I. (in press at PLoS Biology).  Capzb2 interacts with ß-tubulin to regulate growth cone morphology and neurite outgrowth.

Technologies available for sharing upon request:

Please see our most recent publication (Davis et al., 2009)