I am interested in development of the nervous system.  In the developing nervous system, neurons are generated at specific numbers and position in response to inductive signals from a specialized group of cells called the organizers.  Several mutant mice with defect in the developing central nervous system are present.  I am currently examining mice that have defects in Lim-homeodomain encoding genes Lmx1a and Lmx1b.  These genes are expressed in the roof plate, an organizer located at the dorsal midline of the central nervous system.  Loss of these genes causes defect in the roof plate and as a result the cerebellum, located adjacent to the forth ventricle roof plate, is mispatterned.  One of the goals of the project is to understand the roles of these genes in roof plate formation and function in the cerebellum.