====== Kumar Alagramam, Ph.D. ====== #template(faculty_profile.php|... * FName: Kumar * LName: Alagramam * Degree: Ph.D. * Picture: alagramam-1.jpg * Width: 400 * Position: Assistant Professor \\ Director of Research * Department: Department of Otolaryngology-HNS * Organization: Case Western Reserve University * Phone: (216) 844-7621 * Email: kna3@cwru.edu * PubMed_Search: Alagramam KN )# ===== RESEARCH INTERESTS ===== The focus of my lab is to understand the genetic basis of inner ear development, hearing and deafness, using mouse models. Since many deafness disorders in humans are associated with degeneration of the inner ear neuroepithelia, we are interested in identifying and studying mammalian genes that are involved in the development and maintenance of the neuroepithelium of the inner ear. The molecular analysis of hearing loss mutations in the mouse is an ideal way of gaining access to such genes. Current work in the lab is focused on one mouse mutation called Ames waltzer (//av//). The mouse //av// is a recessive mutation, which causes deafness and circling behavior (vestibular dysfunction) associated degeneration of hair cells in the postnatal inner ear. The gene that harbors the //av// mutation was identified as a protocadherin, //Pcdh15// (Nat Genet. 27: 99, 2001; Hum Mol Genet. 10:1709, 2001; Hear Res. 148:181, 2000; Genetics 152:1691, 1999). Experiments are underway to understand the role of //Pcdh15// in inner ear development. Genetic, noise and drug induced loss of hair cells in the mouse and human cochlea leads to permanent hearing loss because these hair cells are not replaced. Vestibular epithelia from adult mouse show limited regenerative ability following injury, which is thought to be due to the presence of vestibular epithelial stem cells. Lack of regeneration of cochlear hair cells may be due to reduced number and/or loss of regenerative ability of stem cells in the adult cochlea. In collaboration with Robert Miller’s lab, we are looking to demonstrate the presence of cochlear stem cells in postnatal mouse organ of Corti using stem cell culture techniques and determine the conditions that would be permit the differentiation of cochlear stem cells to hair cells. These cochlear stem cells could then be transplanted into the postnatal cochlea of deaf mouse mutants, such as the //av// mouse, to determine if the lost hair cells could be restored. {{faculty:alagramam:fig-1s.png?nolink|Deaf ear Vs Normal ear}} ===== SELECTED PUBLICATIONS ===== #template?key=Alagramam(dokudata.php|... * ID: 16600193 * Author: Zheng QY, Rozanas CR, Thalmann I, Chance MR, Alagramam KN. * Volume: * Issue: * Year: 2006 * Date: 2006 Apr 4 * Journal: Brain Res * Pages: * Title: Inner ear proteomics of mouse models for deafness, a discovery strategy. * Selected: true ---- * ID: 16529721 * Author: Pagedar NA, Wang W, Chen DH, Davis RR, Lopez I, Wright CG, Alagramam KN. * Volume: * Issue: * Year: 2006 * Date: 2006 Mar 8 * Journal: Brain Res * Pages: * Title: Gene expression analysis of distinct populations of cells isolated from mouse and human inner ear FFPE tissue using laser capture microdissection - a Technical report based on preliminary findings. * Selected: true ---- * ID: 16408167 * Author: Pawlowski KS, Kikkawa YS, Wright CG, Alagramam KN. * Volume: * Issue: * Year: 2006 * Date: 2006 Jan 12 * Journal: J Assoc Res Otolaryngol * Pages: 1-12 * Title: Progression of Inner Ear Pathology in Ames Waltzer Mice and the Role of Protocadherin 15 in Hair Cell Development. * Selected: true ---- * ID: 16235133 * Author: Jones SM, Johnson KR, Yu H, Erway LC, Alagramam KN, Pollak N, Jones TA. * Volume: 6 * Issue: 4 * Year: 2005 * Date: 2005 Dec * Journal: J Assoc Res Otolaryngol * Pages: 297-310 * Title: A quantitative survey of gravity receptor function in mutant mouse strains. * Selected: true ---- * ID: 16160525 * Author: Semaan MT, Alagramam KN, Megerian CA. * Volume: 13 * Issue: 5 * Year: 2005 * Date: 2005 Oct * Journal: Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg * Pages: 301-307 * Title: The basic science of Meniere's disease and endolymphatic hydrops. * Selected: true ---- * ID: 15952048 * Author: Alagramam KN, Stahl JS, Jones SM, Pawlowski KS, Wright CG. * Volume: 6 * Issue: 2 * Year: 2005 * Date: 2005 Jun * Journal: J Assoc Res Otolaryngol * Pages: 106-118 * Title: Characterization of vestibular dysfunction in the mouse model for Usher syndrome 1F. * Selected: true ---- * ID: 15590703 * Author: Adato A, Michel V, Kikkawa Y, Reiners J, Alagramam KN, Weil D, Yonekawa H, Wolfrum U, El-Amraoui A, Petit C. * Volume: 14 * Issue: 3 * Year: 2005 * Date: 2005 Feb 1 * Journal: Hum Mol Genet * Pages: 347-356 * Title: Interactions in the network of Usher syndrome type 1 proteins. * Selected: true ---- * ID: 12939319 * Author: Ball SL, Bardenstein D, Alagramam KN. * Volume: 44 * Issue: 9 * Year: 2003 * Date: 2003 Sep * Journal: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci * Pages: 3986-3992 * Title: Assessment of retinal structure and function in Ames waltzer mice. ---- * ID: 12782354 * Author: Hampton LL, Wright CG, Alagramam KN, Battey JF, Noben-Trauth K. * Volume: 180 * Issue: 1-2 * Year: 2003 * Date: 2003 Jun * Journal: Hear Res * Pages: 67-75 * Title: A new spontaneous mutation in the mouse Ames waltzer gene, Pcdh15. ---- * ID: 11487575 * Author: Alagramam KN, Yuan H, Kuehn MH, Murcia CL, Wayne S, Srisailpathy CR, Lowry RB, Knaus R, Van Laer L, Bernier FP, Schwartz S, Lee C, Morton CC, Mullins RF, Ramesh A, Van Camp G, Hageman GS, Woychik RP, Smith RJ. * Volume: 10 * Issue: 16 * Year: 2001 * Date: 2001 Aug 1 * Journal: Hum Mol Genet * Pages: 1709-1718 * Title: Mutations in the novel protocadherin PCDH15 cause Usher syndrome type 1F. ---- * ID: 11138007 * Author: Alagramam KN, Murcia CL, Kwon HY, Pawlowski KS, Wright CG, Woychik RP. * Volume: 27 * Issue: 1 * Year: 2001 * Date: 2001 Jan * Journal: Nat Genet * Pages: 99-102 * Title: The mouse Ames waltzer hearing-loss mutant is caused by mutation of Pcdh15, a novel protocadherin gene. ---- * ID: 10978835 * Author: Alagramam KN, Zahorsky-Reeves J, Wright CG, Pawlowski KS, Erway LC, Stubbs L, Woychik RP. * Volume: 148 * Issue: 1-2 * Year: 2000 * Date: 2000 Oct * Journal: Hear Res * Pages: 181-191 * Title: Neuroepithelial defects of the inner ear in a new allele of the mouse mutation Ames waltzer. ---- * ID: 10430593 * Author: Alagramam KN, Kwon HY, Cacheiro NL, Stubbs L, Wright CG, Erway LC, Woychik RP. * Volume: 152 * Issue: 4 * Year: 1999 * Date: 1999 Aug * Journal: Genetics * Pages: 1691-1699 * Title: A new mouse insertional mutation that causes sensorineural deafness and vestibular defects. )# #template?query=Selected&key=Alagramam(publications.php|...)# #template?key=Alagramam(dokudata.php|...)# ~~NOTOC~~