UCLA Neuroscience Program Ph.D. Admissions Neuroscience Faculty UCLA and Beyond  



Ellen Carpenter
Transcription Regulators in Nervous System Development

Email Address:  ecarpenter@mednet.ucla.edu

Laboratory Address:
635 Charles E Young Drive South
Office Address:
Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences
Phone Numbers:
(310) 206-5050 Fax
Phone Numbers:
310-206-3404 Office
310-267-2105 Laboratory

Selected Publications:

Khialeeva, E., Lane, T. F., and Carpenter, E. M. Disruption of reelin signaling alters mammary gland morphogenesis. Development 2011; 138: 767-778.
Hostikka, S. L., Gong, J., and Carpenter, E. M. Axial and appendicular skeletal transformation, ligament alterations, and motor neuron loss in Hoxc10 mutants. International Journal of Biological Sciences 2009; 5: 397-410.
Misra, M., Shah, V., Carpenter, E., McCaffery, P., and Lance-Jones, C Restricted patterns of Hoxd10 and Hoxd11 set segmental differences in motoneurons subtype complement in the lumbosacral spinal cord. Developmental Biology 2009; 330: 54-72.
Choe, A., Phun, H. Q., Tieu, D. D., Hy, Y. H., and Carpenter, E. M. Expression patterns of Hox10 paralogous genes during lumbar spinal cord development. Gene Expression Patterns. 2006; 7: 730-737.
Hedlund, E., Karsten, S. L., Kudo, L., Geschwind, D. H., and Carpenter, E. M. Identification of a Hoxd10-regulated transcriptional network and combinatorial interactions with Hoxa10 during spinal cord development. Journal of Neuroscience Research. 2004; 75: 307-319.
Carpenter, EM Hox genes and spinal cord development.. Developmental Neuroscience. . 2002; 24(1): 24-34.
Rebustini Ivan T, Hayashi Toru, Reynolds Andrew D, Dillard Melvin L, Carpenter Ellen M, Hoffman Matthew P miR-200c regulates FGFR-dependent epithelial proliferation via Vldlr during submandibular gland branching morphogenesis.. Development (Cambridge, England). 2012; 139(1): 191-202.
Hirose Megumi, Niewiadomski Pawel, Tse Gary, Chi Gloria C, Dong Hongmei, Lee Alice, Carpenter Ellen M, Waschek James A Pituitary adenylyl cyclase-activating peptide counteracts hedgehog-dependent motor neuron production in mouse embryonic stem cell cultures.. Journal of neuroscience research. 2011; 89(9): 1363-74.
Khialeeva Elvira, Lane Timothy F, Carpenter Ellen M Disruption of reelin signaling alters mammary gland morphogenesis.. Development (Cambridge, England). 2011; 138(4): 767-76.
Ghiani Cristina A, Mattan Natalia S, Nobuta Hiroko, Malvar Jemily S, Boles Julie, Ross Michael G, Waschek James A, Carpenter Ellen M, Fisher Robin S, de Vellis Jean Early effects of lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation on foetal brain development in rat.. ASN neuro. 2011; 3(4): .
Misra Mala, Shah Veeral, Carpenter Ellen, McCaffery Peter, Lance-Jones Cynthia Restricted patterns of Hoxd10 and Hoxd11 set segmental differences in motoneuron subtype complement in the lumbosacral spinal cord.. Developmental biology. 2009; 330(1): 54-72.
Hostikka Sirkka Liisa, Gong Jun, Carpenter Ellen M Axial and appendicular skeletal transformations, ligament alterations, and motor neuron loss in Hoxc10 mutants.. International journal of biological sciences. 2009; 5(5): 397-410.
Malinin Theodore I, Carpenter Ellen M, Temple H Thomas Particulate bone allograft incorporation in regeneration of osseous defects; importance of particle sizes.. The open orthopaedics journal. 2007; 1(1): 19-24.
Carpenter Ellen M, Gendler El, Malinin Theodore I, Temple H Thomas Effect of hydrogen peroxide on osteoinduction by demineralized bone.. American journal of orthopedics (Belle Mead, N.J.). 2006; 35(12): 562-7.
Choe Andrea, Phun Huy Q, Tieu David D, Hu Yan Hong, Carpenter Ellen M Expression patterns of Hox10 paralogous genes during lumbar spinal cord development.. Gene expression patterns : GEP. 2006; 6(7): 730-7.
Friesen Craig A, Calabro Cheryl, Christenson Kathy, Carpenter Ellen, Welchert Eleanor, Daniel James F, Haslag Sara, Roberts Charles C Safety of infliximab treatment in pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease.. Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition. 2004; 39(3): 265-9.
Carpenter Ellen, Jackson Mary Anne, Friesen Craig A, Scarbrough Marc, Roberts Charles C Crohn's-associated chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis responsive to infliximab.. The Journal of pediatrics. 2004; 144(4): 541-4.
Hedlund Eva, Karsten Stanislav L, Kudo Lili, Geschwind Daniel H, Carpenter Ellen M Identification of a Hoxd10-regulated transcriptional network and combinatorial interactions with Hoxa10 during spinal cord development.. Journal of neuroscience research. 2004; 75(3): 307-19.
Lin Amy W, Carpenter Ellen M Hoxa10 and Hoxd10 coordinately regulate lumbar motor neuron patterning.. Journal of neurobiology. 2003; 56(4): 328-37.
Anderson Tonya R, Hedlund Eva, Carpenter Ellen M Differential Pax6 promoter activity and transcript expression during forebrain development.. Mechanisms of development. 2002; 114(1-2): 171-5.
Anderson, TR Hedlund, E Carpenter, EM Differential Pax6 promoter activity and transcript expression during forebrain development.. Mechanisms of Development. . 2002; 114(1-2): 171-5.
Carpenter Ellen M Hox genes and spinal cord development.. Developmental neuroscience. 2002; 24(1): 24-34.
Wahba, GM Hostikka, SL Carpenter, EM The paralogous Hox genes Hoxa10 and Hoxd10 interact to pattern the mouse hindlimb peripheral nervous system and skeleton.. Developmental Biology. . 2001; 231(1): 87-102.
de la Cruz, CC Der-Avakian, A Spyropoulos, DD Tieu, DD Carpenter, EM Targeted disruption of Hoxd9 and Hoxd10 alters locomotor behavior, vertebral identity, and peripheral nervous system development.. Developmental Biology. . 1999; 216(2): 595-610.
Carpenter, EM Goddard, JM Davis, AP Nguyen, TP Capecchi, MR Targeted disruption of Hoxd-10 affects mouse hindlimb development.. Development (Cambridge, England) . 1997; 124(22): 4505-14.
Carpenter, EM Goddard, JM Chisaka, O Manley, NR Capecchi, MR Loss of Hox-A1 (Hox-1.6) function results in the reorganization of the murine hindbrain.. Development (Cambridge, England) . 1993; 118(4): 1063-75.
Research Interest:

My laboratory studies the effects of transcription regulators on early nervous system patterning and development. Our present studies are focussed on Hox genes and their role in patterning the developing spinal cord. Hox genes encode transcription factors that are expressed in broad anteroposterior domains in developing vertebrate embryos. Inactivation of different members of the Hox gene family suggests that these genes are active in embryonic patterning with roles in both the nervous system and in surrounding tissues and limbs. We have defined the anatomical phenotypes for mice carrying mutations in several individual Hox genes and are currently breeding and analyzing mice carrying multiple mutations. Our studies have demonstrated that motor neuron position and projection is specifically affected by Hox gene mutations both individually and in combination. We are currently examining precursor cell populations to establish the developmental timepoint at which these changes occur. We are also examining downstream targets of Hox gene activity using microarray screening. We have recently identified a set of approximately 70 genes that are differentially expressed in the nervous system following mutation of the Hoxd10 gene. RT-PCR studies have demonstrated that some of these genes show additional changes in expression in Hoxa10/Hoxd10 double mutant animals, suggesting that several Hox genes may regulate the same downstream target genes. Our studies have also revealed several novel genes that appear to be regulated by Hoxd10. We will further characterize these differentially expressed genes using in situ hybridization and real-time PCR analysis. We are also currently defining the promoter elements that may be required for Hoxd10 regulation of downstream genes.