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David Keays

Prof. Dr. David Keays

MCN regular member, GSN full member, GSN Scientific Board member

Responsibilities

Chair of Organismal and Developmental Neurobiology

Contact

LMU Neurobiology


Website: keayslab.org

Further Information

Keywords: Magnetoreception, Microtubules Monotremes

Research methods: 2-photon Imaging and electrophysiology iDISCO whole brain imaging single cell sequencing iPSC and ES culture CRISPR/CAS9 genome editing Cerebral Organoid Generation Transgenic Mouse Technology Immunohistochemistry Mass spectroscopy Molecular and biochemical assays.

Brief research description: The goal of the Keays lab is to answer important questions in sensory and developmental neuroscience. We do this by relying on creative experimental design, that is complemented by a reductionist mindset that pays unrelenting attention to detail. We are focused on three questions: 1. How do animals detect magnetic fields? 2. How do mutations in microtubules and their associated proteins cause neurodevelopmental disease? 3. Why do monotremes have different brains? and senses?

Current or graduated GSN students: Patrick Heisterkamp, Carolina Duro, Alexandra Vilceanu, Thamari Kapuruge

Selected publications:

Nimpf S, et al. A putative mechanism for magnetoreception by electromagnetic induction in the pigeon inner ear. Curr Biol. 2019 Dec 2;29(23):4052-4059.

Tripathy, et al. Mutations in MAST1 cause mega corpus callosum syndrome and cortical malformations. Neuron. 2018 Dec 19;100(6):1354-1368.

Gstrein et al. Mutations in Vps15 perturb neuronal migration in mice and are associated with neurodevelopmental disease in humans. Nature Neuroscience. (2018) Feb;21(2):207-217.

Treiber, CD., et al. (2012). Clusters of iron-rich cells in the upper beak of pigeons are macrophages not magnetosensitive neurons. Nature. 484(7394):367-70.

Keays et al, Mutations in α-tubulin cause defects in neuronal migration in mice and lissencephaly in humans. Cell. 2007 Jan 12;128(1):45-57.