John A. Kessler

John A. Kessler,  MD
Boshes Professor of Neurology
Chairman, Department of Neurology
Director, Feinberg Neuroscience Institute
Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Neuroscience

Research Cluster: Cancer Biology
Developmental Systems and Stem Cell Biology

E-mail:   jakessler@northwestern.edu 

Our laboratory focuses on the biology of embryonic stem cells and neural stem cells. We are interested in defining mechanisms regulating neuronal and glial differentiation of stem/progenitor cells, and on understanding how growth factors promote neuronal and glial survival and phenotypic expression. These studies seek to identify the cytokines that regulate stem cell proliferation and differentiation, to define the intracellular signals that transduce their effects, and to understand how the effects of different growth factors are integrated by the progenitor cell. Although the principal focus of these studies is on definition of mechanisms underlying stem cell differentiation, a significant effort is also devoted to applying molecular neurobiology to clinical problems. Specifically we are developing techniques for the treatment of spinal cord injury and stroke.

Publications:
Otero J.J., Fu W., Kan L., Cuadra A.E. and Kessler J.A. b-catenin Induces Neuronal Lineage Commitment by Embryonic Stem Cells Development 131(15):3545-3557, 2004.

Silva GA, Czeisler, C, Niece, KL, Beniash, E, Kessler, JA, and Stupp, SI Selective Differentiation of Neural Progenitor Cells encapsulated in a Self-assembled Nanofiber Network. Science 303:1352-5, 2004.

Samanta, J. and Kessler J.A. Interactions between ID and OLIG proteins mediate the inhibitory effects of BMP4 on oligodendroglial differentiation. Development 2004.

Chalazonitis, A., D”Autreaux F., Guha U., Pham, T., Faure, C., Chen, J., Roman, D., Rothman, T., Kessler, J.A., and Gershon, M. Bone Morphogenetic Proteins-2 and -4 Regulate the Number of Enteric Neurons but Promote Development of a TrkC –expressing NT3-dependent subset. Journal of Neuroscience 24: 4266-4282, 2004.

Guha U., Gomes W.A., Samanta J., Gupta M., Rice F.L. and Kessler J.A. Target-derived BMP signaling limits sensory neuron number and the extent of peripheral innervation in vivo. Development 131:1175-86, 2004.

Kan L., Israsena N., Zhang Z., Hu H., Jalali A. and Kessler J.A. Sox1 Acts Through Multiple Independent Pathways to Promote Neurogenesis Developmental Biology 269:580-94, 2004.

Bassuk A.G., McLone D.G., Bowman R. and Kessler J.A. Autosomal dominant occipital cephalocele Neurology 62: 1888, 2004.

Israsena N., Hu M., Fu, W., Kan L. and Kessler J.A. The Presence of FGF2 Signaling Determines whether b-catenin Exerts Effects on Proliferation or Neuronal Differentiation of Neural Stem Cells Developmental Biology 268: 220-31, 2004.

Guha U., Mecklenburg L., Cowin P., O’Guin M., D’Vizio D., Pestell R., Paus R., and Kessler J.A. BMP signaling regulates postnatal hair follicle differentiation and cycling. Am. J. Pathology 2004.

Kan L, Hu M, Gomes W.A. and Kessler JA Transgenic Mice Overexpressing BMP4 Develop a Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP)-Like Phenotype. American Journal of Pathology 2004.


Pub med

View Publications by Jack Kessler listed in the National Library of Medicine (PubMed).