DR. MINH DANG NGUYEN

Assistant Professor,  Departments of Clinical Neurosciences, Cell Biology & Anatomy and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Affiliations: Investigator of the Brenda Strafford Foundation Chair in Alzheimer Research , Hotchkiss Brain Institute,

Research Interests:
What happens in the aging and degenerating brain? The main goal in my laboratory is to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the aging of the brain and in such neurodegenerative disorders as Alzheimer's disease. My research focuses mainly on the cytoskeleton (the internal scaffolding) of the nerve cells (neurons) in the brain. Composed of thread-like structures made of protein, the cytoskeleton serves three different purposes: it provides structure for the cell, as well as transports materials and sends signals to other parts of the cell. Mutations in the cytoskeleton can lead to such neurodegenerative disorders as Frontal Temporal Dementia, Parkinson's disease, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease), and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

Recently, we identified the deacetylase sirtuin SIRT1 as a unique molecular link between aging and human neurodegenerative disorders. We found that SIRT1 is upregulated in brain tissue from Alzheimer's patients, in mouse models for Alzheimer and ALS, and in primary neurons challenged with neurotoxic insults. In a mouse model of Alzheimer / Tauopathies, resveratrol, a SIRT1-activating molecule, reduced neurodegeneration in the hippocampus. Thus, SIRT1 activation is a promising avenue for therapeutic intervention in neurodegeneration. We are now investigating the molecular protective mechanisms by which SIRT1 mediates this protection.

Nguyen lab Website

Personnel:

View Pub Med for Recent publications & abstracts

Recent Publications:

• Hung J, Chansard M, Ousman SS, Nguyen MD* & Colicos MA*. Activation of microglia by neuronal activity:  results from a new in vitro paradigm based on neuronal-silicon interfacing technology. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 2009 Jun 25. [Epub ahead of print]. *Co-corresponding authors
• Cheng C, Webber CA, Wang J, Xu Y, Martinez JA, Liu WQ. McDonald D, Guo GF, Nguyen MD & Zochodne DW. Activated RHOA and peripheral axon regeneration. Experimental Neurology, 212: 358-69 (2008).
• Toth C, Shim S, Wang J, Jiang Y, Neumayer G, Belzil C, Liu WQ, Martinez J, Zochodne DW & Nguyen MD. Ndel1 promotes axon regeneration via intermediate filaments PLoS ONE, in press, 2008.
• Shim S, Wang J, Asada N, Neumayer N, Tran HC, Ishiguro K, Sanada K, Nakatani Y & Nguyen MD. P600 is a Microtubule / Endoplasmic Reticulum - Associated Protein in CNS Neurons. Journal of Neuroscience, in press. 2008.
• Shim S, Samuels BA, Wang J, Neumayer G, Belzil C, Ayala R, Shi Y, Shi Y, Tsai LH & Nguyen MD. Ndel1 controls the Dynein-mediated transport of Vimentin during neurite outgrowth. Journal of Biological Chemistry, Feb 2008; doi:10.1074/jbc.M710200200
• Toth C, Rong LL, Yang C, Martinez J, Song F, Ramji N, Brussee V, Liu W, Durand J, Nguyen MD, Schmidt AM & Zochodne DW. RAGE and experimental diabetic neuropathy. Diabetes 2007, Nov 26 - Epub ahead of print
• Kim D*, Nguyen MD*, Fischer A, Sanabenesi F, Dobbins M, Rodgers JT, Dellale I, Sui G, Baur JA, Armour S, Puigserver P, Sinclair DA & Tsai LH. SIRT1 deacetylase protects against neurodegeneration in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. EMBO J. 26: 3169-3179 (2007). *These authors contributed equally to this work
  > One the 10 most-read EMBO papers online in July 2007
• Park SK, Nguyen MD*, Fisher A*, Luke MP, Affar EB, Dieffenback P, Tseng HC, Shi Y & Tsai LH. Prostate apoptosis response 4 links dopamine signaling and depression. Cell 122: 275-287 (2005) *These authors contributed equally to this work
  > Previewed in Cell, p153-155 (2005), Cover of the July Issue
  > Commented in Neuron, Vol 47, 335-338 (2005)
  > Science STKE Editor choice, 295: tw 277
  > Commented in Psychiatry Dispatches in Primary Psychiatry, 12: 12-23
• Shu T, Ayala R*, Nguyen MD*, Xie Z, Gleeson J & Tsai LH. Ndel1 Operates in a Common Pathway with LIS1 and Cytoplasmic Dynein to Regulate Cortical Neuronal Positioning. Neuron 44: 263-277 (2004). *These authors contributed equally to this work 
  > Previewed in Neuron, p213-214. 
• Nguyen MD#, Shu T, Sanada K, Larivière RC, Tseng HC, Park SK, Julien JP & Tsai LH#. A NUDEL-dependent mechanism of Neurofilaments assembly regulates the integrity of CNS neurons. Nature Cell Biology 6: 595-608 (2004). (# co-corresponding authors)
  > Full article highlighted by Nature Cell Biology in the News and Views section, p.569-570,
  > Cover of the July issue.
  > Photographs of the publication reproduced by the Human Frontier Science Program Organization and by Amaxa Biosystems for artistic and scientific purposes

Contact information:

Heritage Medical Research Bldg, Rooms 150, 151, 153 & 140A
3330 Hospital Drive NW
Calgary, T2N4N1
Alberta, Canada
Tel (office): 403-210-5494
Tel (lab1): 403-210-9626
Tel (lab1): 403-220-3045
Tel (lab2): 403-210-9655
Email:mdnguyen [at] ucalgary [dot] ca