Current Research
Understanding molecular mechanisms of preventing RGC death, re-establishing neuronal wiring and recovering visual functions, leads to providing new targets for preventive and therapeutic interventions for traumatic optic neuropathy and glaucoma.
Selected Recent Publications
Kuwajima T, Mason C (2017) Live or Die? Depends Who You Are Neuron 94 (6):1043-1045
Kuwajima T**, Celia S, Sitko AA, Lefebvre V, Mason C** (2017) SoxC transcription factors promote contralateral retinal ganglion cell differentiation and axon guidance in the mouse visual system. Neuron 93 (5):1110-1125 [** corresponding authors]
Li H, Kuwajima T, Oakley D, Nikulina E, Hou J, Yang WS, Lowry ER, Lamas NJ, Amoroso MW, Croft GF, Hosur R, Wichterle H, Sebti S, Filbin MT, Stockwell B, Henderson CE (2016) Protein prenylation constitutes an endogenous brake on axonal growth. Cell Reports 16(2):545-558
Kuwajima T, Sitko AA, Bhansali P, Jurgens C, Guido W, Mason C (2013) ClearT: a detergent- and solvent-free clearing method for visualizing neuronal and non- neuronal tissues. Development 140 (6):1364-1368
Kuwajima T, Yoshida Y, Takegahara N, Petros TJ, Kumanogoh A, Jessell TM, Sakurai, T, Mason C (2012) Optic chiasm presentation of Semaphorin6D in the context with Plexin-A1 and Nr-CAM promotes retinal axon midline crossing. Neuron 74 (4):676-690
Kuwajima T*, Hasegawa K*, Yoshikawa K (2010) Necdin promotes tangential migration of neocortical interneurons from basal forebrain. Journal of Neuroscience 30 (10):3709-3714 [*equal contribution to this work]
Kuwajima T, Nishimura I, Yoshikawa K (2006) Necdin promotes GABAergic neuron differentiation in cooperation with Dlx homeodomain proteins. Journal of Neuroscience 26 (20):5383-539