Joined the faculty: 2006

Affiliations: Department of Ophthalmology, Center for Neuroscience 

Teaching: nban 795, ccmd 793L, MS1 PBL

Office: 3123
Phone: (304) 598-6940
Fax: (304) 293-6928
Email: ramamurthyv@wvuh.com

The Ramamurthy lab aims to decipher the biochemical pathways that control the complex processing of information through neurons to the brain. We use the visual system as a model to comprehend this process. In vision, defects in light signal processing result in neuronal death and blindness. Several recent studies have established the link between mutations in various genes to blinding diseases. However, the functional role of these genes and why defects in these genes cause blindness remains elusive. In our research group, we use various molecular, biochemical and physiological approaches to probe the biochemical basis behind defects that cause the break down of the neuronal circuits and ultimately visual impairment. Our investigations are also critical in designing innovative therapeutic approaches in treating these neuronal degenerations.

Techniques Used in the Laboratory:

Cloning, expression and purification of proteins in bacteria, insect and human cells; Creation of transgenic and knock out mouse models of disease; Analyses of protein complexes by immunoprecipitation, liquid chromatography and mass-spectrometry; protein localization by in-situs, confocal immunofluorscence and electron microscopy; Electrophysiology; Synthesis, folding and assembly of proteins studied by pulse-label, pulse-chase and immunoprecipitation; Protein structure-function relationship.

Keywords:

Neuronal degeneration, Childhood Blindness, Congenital Stationary Night Blindness, Signal processing from retina to brain, Synaptic transmission, Ribbon Synpases, Visual cortex, Gene therapy, Small molecule therapy, Posttranslational modifcation of proteins and protein assembly

  References:

• Schwartz ML, Hurley JB, Ramamurthy V. Biochemical function of the LCA linked protien, aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein like-1 (AIPL1). Role of AIPL1 in retina. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology (2006), 572:89-94.
   
• Taylor MR, Kikkawa S, Diez-Juan A, Ramamurthy V, Kawakami K, Carmeliet P, Brockerhoff SE. The zebrafish pob gene encodes a novel protein required for survival of red cone photoreceptor cells. Genetics (2005), 170(1):263-273.
   
• Kennedy BN, Stearns GW, Smyth VA, Ramamurthy V, van Eeden F, Ankoudinova I, Raible D, Hurley JB, Brockerhoff SE. Zebrafish rx3 and mab21l2 are required during eye morphogenesis. Developmental Biology (2004), 270(2):336-349.
   
• Ramamurthy V, Niemi GA, Reh TA, Hurley JB. Leber congenital amaurosis linked to AIPL1: a mouse model reveals destabilization of cGMP phosphodiesterase. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (USA) (2004), 101(38):13897-13902.
   
• Ramamurthy V, Tucker CL, Pina AL, Loyer M, Dharmaraj S, Li Y, Maumenee IH, Hurley JB, Koenekoop RK. Functional analyses of mutant recessive GUCY2D alleles identified in Leber congenital amaurosis patients: protein domain comparisons and dominant negative effects. Molecular Vision (2004), 10:297-303.
   
• Ramamurthy V, Roberts M, van den Akker F, Niemi G, Reh TA, Hurley JB. AIPL1, a protein implicated in Leber's congenital amaurosis, interacts with and aids in processing of farnesylated proteins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (USA) (2003), 100(22):12630-12635.