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Carol Schuurmans

Positions

Associate Professor

Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Associate Member

Hotchkiss Brain Institute

Contact information

Email

cschuurm@ucalgary.ca

Phone number

Office: +1 (403) 220-3025

Background

Educational Background

B.S. Microbiology, University of Alberta, 1987

B.S. Psychology, University of Alberta, 1986

Doctor of Philosophy Genetics, University of Toronto, 1995

M.S. Microbiology, University of Alberta, 1990

Research

Areas of Research

Activities

Research in my lab is focused on understanding how transcription factors regulate cell fate choices in the developing neocortex and retina, ensuring that appropriate numbers of the correct types of neuronal and glial cells are generated at their proper time and place. Currently we focus on two families of transcription factors - the proneuronal genes Neurog1, Neurog2 and Ascl1, encoding basic-helix-loop-helix transcription factors, and members of the pleiomorphic adenoma gene (Plag) family, including Zac1, Plag1 and Plag-12, encoding zinc-finger transcription factors. We found that Neurog2 and Ascl1 have distinct functions at early and intermediate stages of development in the neocortex, and we have identified GSK3 as a key temporal regulator. We have also shown that Ras/ERK signaling regulated Neurog2 expression levels. Currently efforts are focused on identifying functional sites of intersection between signal transduction pathways and proneuronal gene function. We also study the Neurog2-regulated gene, Zac1, a tumor suppressor gene isolated in a substractive screen. We found that Zac1 is an important regulator of tissue size and cellular composition in the retina, acting through a novel feedback mechanism. We now have evidence that Zac1 regulates neuronal migration in the developing neocortex and are identifying downstream effectors.

Awards

  • award, 2015
  • award, 2012
  • Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Leica Associate Professor Award, 2007
  • Faculty of Medicine Watanabe Distinguished Achievement Award, 2007
  • AHFMR Scholarship Award, 2005
  • CIHR New Investigator Award, 2005
  • Rising Star Award-BMB, 2005
  • Stem Cell Network, 2005
  • Stem Cell Network, 2004