Joseph Takahashi - F1000 Section Head (since 18 July 2001)
Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
BIOGRAPHY
ACADEMIC POSITION:Professor and Chair, Neuroscience Department
RESEARCH OVERVIEW:
The long-term goals of the Takahashi laboratory are to understand the molecular and genetic basis of circadian rhythms in mammals and to utilize forward genetic approaches in the mouse as a tool for gene discovery for complex behavior. In the five years, we have focused our attention in five areas: 1) identification of circadian clock genes and assignment of their function in the molecular mechanism of the circadian pacemaker; 2) analysis of central and peripheral circadian oscillators using real-time circadian reporters; 3) single-cell analysis of circadian oscillations using bioluminescence imaging methods; 4) in vivo analysis of circadian clock components using tissue-specific and conditional expression of circadian genes in mice; and, 5) identification of genes defined by mutations isolated in the large-scale mutagenesis screens we have conducted on neural and behavioral phenotypes.
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Molecular neuroscience, circadian biology, mouse genetics and genomics, genetic dissection of behavior, oscillator dynamics.