Barry Condron

    Associate Professor, Neuroscience

Research Interest

Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Neural Development

Our lab is interested in the development of the central nervous system (CNS). As a model system, we use a small number of serotonergic neurons in the fruit fly CNS. We study the differentiation of these cells as well as how these neurons form synaptic connections in the developing brain. To help in these studies, we have developed an imaging system which allows us to monitor connections forming in the living brain. Below is a confocal micrograph showing serotonergic synapses in green and all synapses in red.



Representative Recent Publications

  1. Couch, Jessica and Barry Condron. (2002). Com Hither Robo.
    Current Biology 12:r741-742.

  2. Condron, Barry G. (2002). The role of gene expression in growth cone
    guidance.     Current Biology 12:1665-1669.

  3. Condron, Barry G. (1999). A midline associated FGF signal temporally
    regulates serotonergic neuron development.     Neuron 24: 1-20.

  4. Condron, Barry G. (1999). Spatially discrete FGF-mediated signalling
    controls glial morphogenesis. Development 126: 4635-4641.

  5. Condron, Barry G. and Kai Zinn. (1997). Regulated tension determines
    axonal pattern.     Current Biology 7:813-816.

  6. Condron, Barry G. and Kai Zinn. (1995). Elevation of protein kinase A
    activity triggers a glial-to-neuronal cell fate switch within an insect
    neuroblast lineage.     Current Biology 5: 51-61.

  7. Zinn, Kai and Barry G. Condron. (1994). Cell fate decisions in the CNS
    of the grasshopper.     Current Opinions in Cell Biology 6: 783-787 (review).

  8. Condron, Barry G., Nipam H. Patel and Kai Zinn. (1994). engrailed
    Controls Glial/Neuronal Cell Fate Decisions at the Midline of the Central
    Nervous System. Neuron 13: 541-554.

  9. Condron, Barry G. and Kai Zinn. (1994). The grasshopper median
    neuroblast is a pluripotent progenitor cell that generates glia and neurons in
    distinct phases.     J. Neuroscience 14: 5766-5777.

  10. Patel, Nipam H., Barry G. Condron and Kai Zinn. (1994). Pair-rule
    expression patterns of even-skipped are found in both short- and long germ
    beetles.     Nature 267: 429-434.

The picture shows two segments of the developing grasshopper central nervous system stained for all neurons which show up as an orange/brown color. Neuronal cell bodies as well as axon tracts can be seen. Much of the insect central nervous system consists of a chain of these segmental ganglia. This embryo is just over a third of its way through development and only a relatively small number of neurons form in each segment. Many of these neurons are easily identified and develop in a stereotypical manner from animal to animal. In addition, individual cells can be microinjected with various reagents to perturb gene expression.

 

This confocal micrograph shows fluorescent staining of a grasshopper segmental ganglion about half way through development. The green signal is from staining for the homeobox-containing transcription factor engrailed and the red from the neurotransmitter serotonin. Only a small number of serotonergic neurons form in the insect CNS. As can be seen, these express engrailed. Inhibition of engrailed specifically in these cells, using microinjection technology, severely affects the way these cells develop.

For more information email bc4f@virginia.edu.