Bio
Alexander Dityatev graduated in Mathematics at the Leningrad (St. Petersburg) State University in 1985. In 1991 he accomplished his PhD in Biology with a thesis on quantal analysis of glutamate release at the Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry in Leningrad. In 1992-1996, he worked with Peter Clamann as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Physiology, University of Bern, where he studied relationships between the structure and function of synaptic connections in the spinal cord. He then worked with Melitta Schachner as a group leader at the Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg. There he and his colleagues uncovered synaptic functions of several cell adhesion and extracellular matrix molecules, such as tenascins, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans, NCAM, L1, CHL1, and their associated glycans, including HNK-1 and PSA. Many of these functions turned out to involve interplay between recognition molecules and ligand- or voltage gated ion channels, resulting in regulation of perisomatic GABAergic inhibition, hippocampal long-term potentiation/depression and contextual memory. In 2004-2007, Alexander Dityatev was a German Research Foundation (DFG) Fellow at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. In 2006-2009, he served as affiliated Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmacal Sciences, Auburn University. He co-authored more than 90 papers in and co-edited with Alaa El-Husseini a book on “Molecular Mechanisms of Synaptogenesis”. Currently, Dr. Dityatev is a Senior Researcher at Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), a Contract Professor at the University of Genova and a visiting Professor at the University of Nizhny Novgorod.
Other Publications
Major research papers:
Kochlamazashvili G., Bukalo O., Henneberger C., Dvoretskova E., Senkov O., Lievens P.M.-J., Westenbroek R., Engel A.K., Catterall W.A., Rusakov D.A., Schachner M., Dityatev A. (2010) The extracellular matrix molecule hyaluronic acid regulates hippocampal synaptic plasticity by modulating postsynaptic L-type Ca2+ channels. Neuron 67:116-128.
Kochlamazashvili G., Senkov O., Grebenyuk S., Sims C., Xiao M., Stummeyer K., Gerardy-Schahn R., Engel A.K., Feig L., Semyanov A., Suppiramaniam V., Schachner M., Dityatev A. (2010) NCAM-associated polysialic acid regulates synaptic plasticity and learning by restraining the signaling through GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors. J. Neurosci 30:4171-4183.
Ponimaskin E., Dityateva G., Ruonala M.O., Fukata M., Fukata Y., Kobe F., Wouters F.S., Delling M., Bredt D.S., Schachner M., Dityatev A. (2008) Fibroblast growth factor-regulated palmitoylation of NCAM determines neuronal morphogenesis. J. Neurosci. 28:8897-907.
Bukalo O., Schachner M. and Dityatev A. (2007) Hippocampal metaplasticity induced by deficiency in the extracellular matrix glycoprotein tenascin-R. J. Neurosci. 27:6019-6028.
Dityatev A., Brückner G., Dityateva G., Grosche J., Kleene R., and Schachner M. (2007) Activity-dependent formation and functions of chondroitin sulfate-rich extracellular matrix of perineuronal nets. Dev. Neurobiol. 67:570-588.
Senkov O., Sun M., Weinhold B., Gerardy-Schahn R., Schachner M., and Dityatev A. (2006) Polysialylated NCAM is involved in induction of long-term potentiation and memory acquisition and consolidation in a fear conditioning paradigm. J. Neurosci. 26:10888-10898.
Dityatev A., Dityateva G., Sytnyk V., Delling M., Toni N., Nikonenko I., Muller D., and Schachner M. (2004) Polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule PSA-NCAM promotes formation and remodeling of hippocampal synapses. J. Neurosci. 24:9372-9382.
Dityatev A., Dityateva G., and Schachner M. (2000) Synaptic strength as a function of post- versus presynaptic expression of the neural cell adhesion molecule NCAM. Neuron 26:207-217.
Major Reviews:
Dityatev A., Schachner M., and Sonderegger P. (2010) The dual role of the extracellular matrix in synaptic plasticity and homeostasis. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 11:735-746.
Dityatev A., Seidenbecher C.I., and Schachner M. (2010) Compartmentalization from the outside: the extracellular matrix and functional microdomains in the brain. Trends in Neurosci. 33:503-512.
Dityatev A., Bukalo O., and Schachner M. (2008) Modulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity by cell adhesion and repulsion molecules. Neuron Glia Biol. 4:197-209.
Ponimaskin E., Voyno-Yasenetskaya T., Richter D.W., Schachner M., and Dityatev A. (2007) Morphogenic signaling in neurons via neurotransmitter receptors and small GTPases. Mol. Neurobiol. 35:278-287.
Dityatev A. and Schachner M. (2003) Extracellular matrix molecules and synaptic plasticity. Nature Reviews Neurosci. 4: 456-468.
BOOK:
Molecular Mechanisms of Synaptogenesis (2006) Edited by Dityatev A. and El-Husseini A. Springer US, New York, 518 pages. Highlight: Hughes E.G. and Balice-Gordon R.J. (2007) Extreme Makeover: Synapse Edition, Neuron 53: 779-780.
Link to Pubmed:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?orig_db=PubMed&db=pubmed&cmd=Search&term=Dityatev%20OR%20Ditiatev%20AE[author]
