Michael Berberoglu
2012-2016 Postdoctoral Fellowship; The Ohio State University; Research in Muscle Biology and Disease (OSU, NCH), Columbus, OH
2012 PhD (Neuroscience) University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA
2006 BS (Biology) University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV
Areas of Research:
Stem Cells & Regeneration; Neurobiology; Developmental Biology; Adult Neurogenesis; Neuronal Function and Disease; Skeletal Muscle; Satellite-Like Cells; Zebrafish
Research in the Berberoglu Lab uses the highly regenerative zebrafish model system to investigate the regulation of stem cell populations normally and during repair and/or regeneration. Current areas of research are divided into two main projects within the lab:
1) Understanding the role of Rbfox RNA-binding proteins in neuronal development and brain regeneration:
The zebrafish has recently emerged as a comparable and useful model system for brain studies, as adult zebrafish show a remarkable capability to regenerate tissues of the central nervous system, are continuously generating new neurons throughout the brain as adults, and possess many brain regions that are neuroanatomically conserved with mammals. Research in the Berberoglu Lab aims to: 1) Understand the factors that regulate adult neural progenitor and/or stem cell proliferation and the production of neurons in the adult brain (adult neurogenesis), and 2) Identify genes that are required for proper brain development and neuronal function. We are currently investigating the role of Rbfox proteins in the development and function of neurons within the forebrain. Rbfox proteins have been implicated in a variety of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders including anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and ADHD. Our work aims to understand whether Rbfox proteins are required for telencephalic neuronal development and function, and whether this has implications in behavior. We are also studying the role of Rbfox proteins in the development of the hindbrain and aim to determine whether Rbfox proteins regulate neurogenesis within the cerebellum normally and during regeneration.
2) Investigating the role of pax7 and rbfox genes in the regulation of satellite-like cells in skeletal muscle repair after injury:
We have recently identified satellite-like cells within adult zebrafish skeletal muscle that express Pax7, have dense heterochromatic profiles by electron microscopy (EM), and are located in positions consistent with the location of satellite muscle stem cells found in mammals, and have identified a role for the pax7 gene in the process of skeletal muscle repair after injury in adult zebrafish. Research on this project aims to further understand the role of pax7 in the regulation of zebrafish satellite-like cells (proliferation and differentiation). We would also like to test whether rbfox genes regulate zebrafish satellite-like cells and muscle regeneration after injury, as we have observed a wave of Rbfox protein expression at the injury site within several days following a needle-stick muscle injury. A better understanding of the genes that regulate satellite cells may have implications for the treatment of muscle injuries and muscle degenerative diseases such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).
I am currently recruiting motivated undergraduate students to join the lab for undergraduate research opportunities. Please email michael.berberoglu@louisiana.edu if you are interested in working on the above projects.
Selected publications:
Liu, C., Li, R., Li, Y., Lin, X., Zhao, K., Liu, Q., Wang, S., Yang, X., Shi, X., Ma, Y., Pei, C., Wang, H., Bao, W., Hui, J., Yang, T., Xu, Z., Lai, T., Berberoglu, M.A., Sahu, S.K., Esteban, M.A., Ma, K., Fan, G., Li, Y., Liu, S., Chen, A., Xu, X., Dong, Z., Liu, L. (2022). Spatiotemporal mapping of gene expression landscapes and developmental trajectories during zebrafish embryogenesis. Developmental Cell 57: 1284-1289.e5.
Ma, F., Dong, Z., and Berberoglu, M.A.* (2019). Expression of RNA-binding protein Rbfox1l demarcates a restricted population of dorsal telencephalic neurons within the adult zebrafish brain. Gene Expr. Patterns 31: 32-41. (*Corresponding author)
Berberoglu, M.A., Gallagher, T.L., Morrow, Z.T., Talbot, J.C., Hromowyk, K.J., Tenente, I.M., Langenau, D.M., Amacher, S.L. (2017). Satellite-like cells contribute to pax7-dependent skeletal muscle repair in adult zebrafish. Dev. Biol. 424: 162-180.
Duy, P.Q., Berberoglu, M.A., Beattie, C.E., Hall, C.W. (2017). Cellular responses to recurrent pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures in the adult zebrafish brain. Neuroscience 349: 118-127.
Berberoglu, M.A.,# Dong, Z.,# Li, G., Zheng, J., Martinez, L.C., Peng, J., Wagle, M., Reichholf, B., Petritsch, C., Li, H., Pleasure, S., Guo, S. (2014). Heterogeneously expressed fezf2 patterns gradient Notch activity in balancing the quiescence, proliferation, and differentiation of adult neural stem cells. J. Neurosci. 34: 13911-13923. (#Co-first author)
Mueller T, Dong Z, Berberoglu MA, Guo S. (2011). The dorsal pallium in Zebrafish, Danio rerio (Cyprinidae, Teleostei). Brain Res. 1381: 95-105.
Mathur P, Berberoglu MA, Guo S. (2011). Preference for ethanol in zebrafish following a single exposure. Behav. Brain Res. 217: 128-133.
Berberoglu MA, Dong Z, Mueller T, Guo S. (2009). fezf2 expression delineates cells with proliferative potential and expressing markers of neural stem cells in the adult zebrafish brain. Gene Expr. Patterns 9: 411-422.
Andrews GL, Tanglao S, Farmer WT, Morin S, Brotman S, Berberoglu MA, Price H, Fernandez GC, Mastick GS, Charron F, Kidd T. (2008). Netrin-dependent and independent roles for Dscams in embryonic axon guidance. Development 135: 3839-3848.
Philips GT, Stair CN, Young Lee H, Wroblewski E, Berberoglu MA, Brown NL, Mastick GS. (2005). Precocious retinal neurons: Pax6 controls timing of differentiation and determination of cell type. Dev. Biol. 279: 308-321.