Associate Professor
Graduate Training: California Institute of Technology
Departments of Otolaryngology; Ophthalmology; Biochemistry
WVU School of Medicine
One Medical Center Drive
PO Box 9303 Health Sciences Center
Morgantown, WV 26506-9303
t: 304-293-0271
f: 304-293-7182
e: pmathers@hsc.wvu.edu
Research Interests
My laboratory works on the molecular genetics of two developmental sensory systems: the eye and the ear. We seek to understand the genes required for the formation of early retinal tissue during eye formation and in the development of specific relay centers in the auditory brainstem that are critical for hearing. Using transgenic and targeted deletion (knockout) mouse models, the lab is studying the function of specific transcription factors in regulating developmental gene expression patterns and deciding the fate of these particular tissues. These studies use molecular, genetic, and biochemical techniques—along with fluorescent and histochemical imaging—to understand how genetic mutations affect the formation of sensory organs. We have developed genetic models that allow us to delete a gene at selected times, allowing a detailed analysis of that gene’s function at various stages of development. We have also used mutational screens in patients to identify a cause for anophthalmia, a condition where patients are born without eyes. Our current work with stem cells is aimed at repairing damaged sensory tissue through regeneration.
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| Figure: Conditional Gene Deletion During Development. Mouse embryos stained for Rx gene expression. A) Normal embryo showing Rx expression in the optic vesicle and ventral forebrain. B) Cre-recombinase-expressing embryo, where Rx exon 2 is deleted only in the optic vesicle. Note the loss of expression at the lateral surface. Deletion of Rx at this stage prevents the neural retina and lens from forming, showing that Rx is required to specify these important visual tissues. Rx is also necessary for the initial formation of the optic vesicle. |
