Editors of the eNeuro journal have selected our publication “Ultrastructural characteristics and synaptic connectivity of photoreceptors in the Little skate (Leucoraja erinacea)” as noteworthy for the scientific community and have featured the manuscript in the journal’s research spotlights.
Our eNeuro paper cover image has been featured in SfN's "Snapshots in Neuroscience" blog!
See the post and read a short description of the image here: Snapshots in Neuroscience
The first paper from our lab is out at eNeuro!
We excited to share that our first peer-reviewed paper is officially out. This work examines the fine structure of skate photoreceptors and their synaptic connectivity using serial block-face scanning electron microscopy imaging. It is the first of a series of projects that we have completed from the SB-3DEM data we collected over the pandemic. Stay tuned for more and read the full manuscript here: “Ultrastructural characteristics and synaptic connectivity of photoreceptors in the simplex retina of Little skate (Leucoraja erinacea)”
Our first preprint is out at BioRxiv!
We are excited to share news that our very first official preprint is out, the paper is currently under review. This work is titled “The functionally plastic rod photoreceptors in the simplex retina of Little skate (Leucoraja erinacea) exhibit a hybrid rod-cone morphology and enhanced synaptic connectivity” and is the first of a series of papers that describe our findings from the last 3 years on the skate retinal connectome. Stay tuned for more later this summer. Thank you to all of the graduate and undergraduate students in the Anastassov Lab for all of their hard work on this! You can find the paper here, or by clicking on the title above.
Graduate student Yaqoub Yusuf presented his work at the 2022 ASCB meeting in Washington, DC and won an NIGMS travel grant to attend the conference. Congratulations, Yaqoub!
Yaqoub at his poster
Yaqoub attended the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) in Washington, DC. He presented a poster titled “Identifying the structure and function of horizontal cells in the pure-rod skate retina”. Yaqoub also won a prestigious travel grant from ASCB and NIGMS to attend the conference.
Graduate student Emma Alvarez presented her work at ABRCMS 2022 and won a poster presentation award in the Neuroscience section. Congratulations, Emma!
Emma Alvarez
Emma presented a poster at the 2022 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS) in Anaheim, CA titled “ Identifying bipolar cell diversity in the simplex retina of Leucoraja erinacea (little skate)”. She also won a poster presentation award from ABRCMS in the Neuroscience section.
Congratulations to Abhiniti Wagh!
Abhi’s defense announcement
Congratulations to Abhi, who was the second ever graduate student from the Anastassov lab to defend their MS thesis. Abhi’s work was titled: “Rod convergence and bipolar cell ultrastructure in the all-rod skate retina”. Best of luck to Abhi, who is starting a position as an optometric technician at Optical Illusions: An Optometric Practice.
The Anastassov Lab hosts a research team for a summer project during the annual Center for Cellular Construction summer research internship.
The team, from left to right, Victoria Ko, Emma Alvarez, David Umbertus, Nick Chu, Dr. Anastassov, Dr. Hayzelden (on the screen), Sebastian Gomez
We were exited to host a team of graduate and undergraduate students for an intense summer research workshop in the lab this July. Dr. Anastassov headed the “Synaptic Structure” team on a project titled “Synaptic ribbon structure in retinal cells”. We used SEM imaging with STEM detection to examine the ultrastructure of synaptic ribbons in rod photoreceptors and quantify synaptic vesicle characteristics during light-and dark-adaptation. This was the first time that our Carl Zeiss Ultra 55 Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) was been used in this imaging mode and we are immensely thankful to Dr. Clive Hayzelden for all the expert help and support! Team “Synaptic Structure” members: Nick Chu (peer mentor), Emma Alvarez (grad student, Anastassov Lab), Sebastian Gomez (grad student, Chu Lab), Victoria Ko (undergrad), David Umbertus (grad student, Anastassov Lab).
Remote imaging on the SEM
Synaptic ribbon with docked vesicles
More remote imaging under the expert guidance of Dr. Hayzelden
SEM on remote operation
Learning how to make glass knives and section on the ultramicrotome
More ribbons and vesicles
Congratulations to Laura Magaña-Hernández!
Laura’s defense announcement
Congratulations to Laura, who was the first graduate student from the Anastassov Lab to defend their MS thesis! Her work was titled “Reconstruction and quantification of synaptic architecture and divergence in the pure-rod retina of little skate”. Best of luck to Laura, who is headed next to Northwestern University’s Interdepartmental Neuroscience PhD program.
Seven students in the Anastassov Lab present at the 2022 COSE showcase!
Emma Alvarez
Yaqoub Yusuf
Daniel Brown and Aya Alazzeh
Julio Robles
David Umbertus
Congratulations to Aya, Daniel, David, Emma, Julio, Marta and Yaqoub, who presented their work in the first in-person COSE showcase in 3 years! Their work sparked a lot of interest and is helping introduce everyone in the College of Science and Engineering to our work in the fascinating visual system of the little skate. 1) Emma Alvarez “The complexity of the simplex retina: Identifying bipolar cell diversity in little skate’s retina” 2) Marta Guevara (not pictured) “The singular rod photoreceptors of the skate retina” 3) Yaqoub Yusuf “Investigating the skate retina by identifying the purpose and function of horizontal cells” 4) Aya Alazzeh and Daniel Brown “Characteristics of photoreceptor and bipolar cell nuclei in the skate retina” 5) Julio Robles “Mitochondrial distribution, quantification and architecture in functionally plastic sensory neurons” 6) David Umbertus “Defining rod pathways for dim light vision in a simplex retina”.
ARVO 2022 travel grant awarded to Laura Magaña-Hernandez!
Laura and Dr. Anastassov at ARVO 2022
Laura was awarded an NEI travel grant to ARVO 2022 in Denver, where she gave a talk titled “Hybrid rod-cone anatomical characteristics revealed in the ultrastructural features and synaptic architecture of a functionally plastic pure-rod retina”. Congratulations, Laura!
First baby skates have hatched!
3 baby skates out and 5 still to come.
The very first baby skates in the Anastassov lab have come out of their “mermaids purses”. These little guys will grow up to be more than 40cm long, nose to tail. Right now they are only ~5cm long and very curious.
The Anastassov Lab has been awarded a grant from the NIH's National Institutes of General Medical Sciences!
We have received an SC2 grant from the NIGMS of NIH for 3 years to work on the simplex retina of the little skate. The grant, titled “Structural and molecular determinants of duplex functionality in a pure-rod retina”, will support our investigation of the mechanisms of functional adaptation in the naturally-occurring monotypic photoreceptor retina of L. erinacea. Results from this work could hold the key to expanding the functional repertoire of surviving photoreceptors in diseased duplex retinae and consequently lead to novel approaches in therapeutic vision restoration efforts.
The Anastassov lab has received its first research grant!
We have been awarded a research award from the California State University’s Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB). The research project is titled “Developmental and structural determinants of rod connectivity in the elasmobranch retina” and will investigate the developmental and structural events that contribute to circuit establishment in the L. erinacea retina.