Kurt Weiss, 2006-

B.S., 2005, University of Wisconsin

Kurt is characterizing Drosophila models of Huntington's Disease.  Huntington’s disease is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by expansion of a polyglutamine tract in the huntingtin protein that results in intracellular aggregate formation and neurodegeneration.  Pathways leading from polyglutamine tract expansion to disease pathogenesis remain obscure.  To elucidate how polyglutamine expansion causes neuronal dysfunction, Kurt is using flourescently-tagged Htt proteins expressed in transgenic animals to directly visualize Htt polyQ aggregation and trafficking in neurons.  Kurt is characterizing axonal transport of the Htt protein, and its association with other neuronal cargo.  In addition, Kurt is screening for genetic suppressors of aggregation to determine if Htt aggregation is neuro-protective or neurotoxic.