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Fernando C. Alsina, PhD
Fernando C. Alsina, PhD

Education

BS (Biological Sciences) – University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
PhD (Biological Sciences) – University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Postdoctoral fellow – Duke University, Durham, NC

Honors & Awards

  • Young Investigator award, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) Awarding NARSAD Grants
  • Young Investigator award, The Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation, 2022 Neuroscience Program
  • Ruth K Broad Foundation fellowship
  • International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) USCRC North American Research fellowship
  • Argentinian National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) fellowship

Research Interests 

  • Molecular and Cellular Developmental Neurobiology
  • Neural differentiation and neuronal maturation
  • Cytoskeletal regulation
  • mRNA metabolism
  • Neurodevelopmental disorders

Our lab studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive neural differentiation and maturation during brain development. Neural progenitors, neurons and glial cells have unique morphologies and functional properties that rely on extrinsic cues, signaling pathways, transcriptomic regulation and cytoskeletal dynamics. Our research is focused on how neural cells utilize these processes during development, including an emerging class of proteins that dually regulate RNA and the cytoskeleton. Importantly, dysfunction in both RNA-binding proteins and microtubule-associated proteins are linked with neurodevelopmental disorders and other neurological diseases. Thus, we aim to uncover new regulatory layers of the nervous system to identify potential therapeutic targets.

Selected Publications

Alsina FC*, Lupan BM, Lin LJ, Musso CM, Mosti F, Newman CR, Wood LM, Suzuki A, Agostino M, Moore JK, Silver DL*. The RNA-binding protein EIF4A3 promotes axon development by direct control of the cytoskeleton. Cell Rep 24;43(9):114666. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114666. (2024). *Co-corresponding authors

Lupan BM, Solecki RA, Musso CM, Alsina FC, Silver DL. The exon junction complex component EIF4A3 is essential for mouse and human cortical progenitor mitosis and neurogenesis. Development 15;150(10):dev201619. (2023)

Pilaz LJ, Liu J, Joshi K, Tsunekawa Y, Musso CM, D’Arcy BR, Suzuki IK, Alsina FC, Pratiksha KC, Sethi S, Vanderhaeghen P, Polleux F, Silver DL. Subcellular mRNA localization and local translation of Arhgap11a in radial glial progenitors regulates cortical development. Neuron 111(6): 839-856. (2023)

Mangan RJ, Alsina FC, Mosti F, Sotelo-Fonseca JE, Snellings DA, Au EH, Carvalho J, Sathyan L, Johnson GD, Reddy TE, Silver DL, Lowe CB. Adaptive sequence divergence forged new neurodevelopmental enhancers in humans. Cell 185(24):4587-4603.e23. (2022).

De Vincenti AP*, Alsina FC*, Ferrero Restelli FN, Hedman H, Ledda F, Paratcha G. Lrig1 and Lrig3 cooperate to control Ret receptor signaling, sensory axonal growth and epidermal innervation. Development 148(16):dev197020. (2021) *Co-first authors

Alsina FC and Silver DL. Posttranscriptional and translational control of neurogenesis: roles for RNA-binding proteins, Book Chapter 28. Pages 731-750. Comprehensive Developmental Neuroscience: Patterning and Cell Type Specification in the Developing CNS and PNS. Generation of Neuronal Diversity (2nd edn) (Rubenstein J, Rakic P, Chen B, Kwan K, book eds; Guillemot F, Campbell KJ, section eds). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814405-3.00028-X. (2020)

Huang Q*, Cohen MA*, Alsina FC, Devlin G, Garrett A, McKey J, Havlik P, Rakhilin N, Wang E, Xiang K, Mathews P, Wang L, Bock C, Ruthig V, Wang Y, Negrete M, Wong CW, Murthy PKL, Zhang S, Daniel AR, Kirsch DG, Kang Y, Capel B, Asokan A, Silver DL, Jaenisch R, Shen X. Intravital imaging of mouse embryos. Science 10;368(6487):181-186. (2020)

Lennox AL*, Hoye ML*, Jiang R, Johnson-Kerner BL, Suit LA, Venkataramanan S, Sheehan CJ, Alsina FC, Fregeau B, Aldinger KA, Moey C, Lobach I, Afenjar A, Babovic-Vuksanovic D, Bézieau S, Blackburn PR, Bunt J, Burglen L, Campeau PM, Charles P, Chung BHY, Cogné B, Curry C, D'Agostino MD, Di Donato N, Faivre L, Héron D, Innes AM, Isidor B, Keren B, Kimball A, Klee EW, Kuentz P, Küry S, Martin-Coignard D, Mirzaa G, Mignot C, Miyake N, Matsumoto N, Fujita A, Nava C, Nizon M, Rodriguez D, Blok LS, Thauvin-Robinet C, Thevenon J, Vincent M, Ziegler A, Dobyns W, Richards LJ, Barkovich AJ, Floor SN, Silver DL, Sherr EH. Pathogenic DDX3X Mutations Impair RNA Metabolism and Neurogenesis during Fetal Cortical Development. Neuron 106(3):404-420. (2020)

Alsina FC and Silver DL. Damage control in the developing brain: tradeoffs and consequences. Trends in Neuroscience 42(10):661-663. (2019)

Lindquist D, Alsina FC, Herdenberg C, Larsson C, Höppener J, Wang N, Paratcha G, Tarján M, Tot T, Henriksson R, Hedman H. LRIG1 negatively regulates RET mutants and is downregulated in thyroid cancer. Int J Oncol 52(4):1189-1197. (2018)

Fontanet PA, Ríos AS, Alsina FC, Paratcha G, Ledda, F. Pea3 transcription factors, Etv4 and Etv5, are required for proper hippocampal dendrite development and plasticity. Cerebral Cortex 1;28(1):236-249. (2018)

Irala D, Bonafina, A, Fontanet PA, Alsina FC, Paratcha G, Ledda, F. GDNF/GRFα1 complex promotes development of hippocampal dendritic arbors and spines via NCAM. Development 143(22):4224-4235. (2016)

Alsina FC*, Hita FJ*, Fontanet PA, Irala D, Hedman H, Ledda, F, Paratcha G. Lrig1 is a cell-intrinsic modulator of hippocampal dendrite complexity and BDNF signaling. EMBO reports 17 (4). 601-616. (2016)

Fontanet PA, Irala D, Alsina FC, Paratcha G, Ledda F. Pea3 transcription factor family members, Etv4 and Etv5, mediate retrograde signaling and axonal growth of DRG sensory neurons in response to NGF. Journal of Neuroscience 33(40):15940-51. (2013)

Alsina FC, Ledda F, Paratcha G. New insights into the control of neurotrophic growth factor receptor signaling: Implications for nervous system development and repair. Journal of Neurochemistry 123 (5): 652-661. (2012)

Alsina FC, Irala D, Fontanet PA, Hita FJ, Ledda F, Paratcha G. Sprouty4 is a negative modulator of TrkA signaling and neuronal differentiation induced by NGF. PLoS ONE 7(2): e32087. (2012)

Full publication list for Fernando Alsina

Last update: November 2024

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