Dr Ko-Fan Chen
Lecturer in Neurogenetics
School/Department: Genetics and Genome Biology, Department of
Telephone: +44 (0)116 252 2522
Email: kc280@leicester.ac.uk
Web: https://sites.google.com/view/kofanchen
Profile
Research
Publications
(0)
2021 Kratschmer, P., Lowe, S. A., Buhl, E., Chen, K. F., Kullmann, D. M., Pittman, A., ... & Jepson, J. E. Impaired Pre‐Motor Circuit Activity and Movement in a Drosophila Model of KCNMA1‐Linked Dyskinesia. Movement Disorders 36(5) 1158-1169.
2021 Putker, M., Wong, D. C., Seinkmane, E., Rzechorzek, N. M., Zeng, A., Hoyle, N. P., .Chen, K. F.. & O’Neill J. S. CRYPTOCHROMES confer robustness not rhythmicity to circadian timekeeping. The EMBO journal 40(7) e106745.
2019 Chen, K.-F.#, Lowe., S, Lamaze, A., Krätschmer, P., Jepson, J.E.C. Neurocalcin regulates nighttime sleep and arousal in Drosophila. eLife 8 e38114
2018 Lamaze, A., Krätschmer, P*., Chen, K.-F.*, Lowe, S., Jepson, J.E.C. Wake-promoting circadian output circuit in Drosophila. Current Biology 28 (19) 3098-3105.
2018 Younan, N.D., Chen, K.-F., Rose, R.S., Crowther, D.C., Viles, J.H. Prion protein stabilizes amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers and enhances Aβ neurotoxicity in a Drosophila model of Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of Biological Chemistry 293 (34)13090-13099
2016 Khabirova, E.*, Chen, K.-F.#*, O’Neill, J.S., and Crowther, D.C. Flyglow: Single-fly observations of simultaneous molecular and behavioural circadian oscillations in controls and an Alzheimer’s model. Scientific Reports 6. 33759.
2016 Buhl, E., Bradlaugh, A., Ogueta, M., Chen, K.-F., Stanewsky, R., and Hodge, J.J. Quasimodo mediates daily and acute light effects on Drosophila clock neuron excitability. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113 13486-13491
2014 Chen, K.-F.#, Possidente, B., Lomas, D.A., and Crowther, D.C. The central molecular clock is robust in the face of behavioural arrhythmia in a Drosophila model of Alzheimer’s disease. Disease Models & Mechanisms 7 445-458
2011 Chen, K.-F.*, Peschel, N*., Zavodska, R., Sehadova, H., and Stanewsky, R.. QUASIMODO a Novel GPI-Anchored Zona Pellucida Protein Involved in Light Input to the Drosophila Circadian Clock. Current Biology 21 (9) 719-729
2009 Landskron, J*., Chen, K.-F.*, Wolf, E., and Stanewsky, R.. A role for the PERIOD: PERIOD homodimer in the Drosophila circadian clock. PLOS Biology 7 (4) e1000003
.Supervision
1. What are the neurogenetic mechanisms underlying light- and vision-promoted sleep?
We are interested in use latest fly behavioural genetics and live imaging methods to explore wider molecular and neural mechanisms by which the visual system facilitates sleep.
2 What is the clock-controlled neuroprotective molecular pathway?
A major hallmark of neurodegeneration is the misfolded protein aggregates leading to ER stress and eventually causes neuronal dysfunction. Intriguingly the presence of the circadian clock may inhibit the formation of pathogenic aggregates depending on the types of misfolded protein aggregates. We will use molecular and neurogenetic tools to identify the underlying neuroprotective molecular mechanisms of circadian clock.
3. Can sleep modulate Neurological disease?
Sleep disruption has been reported in various neurological diseases. Whether such sleep problem exacerbate the disease progress is a open question. Using Drosophila as diease models we will address whether sleep alterations can be identified in diseases such as dystonia and nystagmus. Also we will investigate if reduced sleep quality impacts the severity of neurological diseases.