Christopher Patzke PhD

University of Notre Dame

Biography

Christopher Patzke PhD is the John M. and Mary Jo Boler Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame. The main focus of his research is how genes and proteins contribute to synapse formation and function with the goal to understand how and why these processes are impaired in neuropsychiatric disorders.

His lab focuses on the role of cell adhesion, synaptic signaling and neuromodulation of signal transmission, crucial elements in the process of building and maintaining cellular interactions establishing the dynamic wiring of the nervous system.

His team uses human pluripotent stem cell-derived neuronal cells as a tool to model human genetic neuropathological conditions but also as means to understand the molecular basis of human cellular neurobiology. By combining technologies, such as genetic engineering, cell imaging, biochemistry, brain organoid cultures and physiology, they investigate the formation of the human nervous system and impairment by mutations.

BRAIN Funded Projects

CRE/FLP system in brain organoids as a tool for illuminating pathology mechanisms

Investigating CRE/FLP system in brain organoids as a tool for acute mutation targeting and dissecting of autism disease pathology mechanism

Recent & Selected Publications

Patzke C, Brockmann MM, Dai J, et al. Neuromodulator Signaling Bidirectionally Controls Vesicle Numbers in Human Synapses. Cell. 2019;179(2):498-513.e22. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2019.09.011 Read abstract

Dai J, Patzke C, Liakath-Ali K, Seigneur E, Südhof TC. GluD1 is a signal transduction device disguised as an ionotropic receptor. Nature. 2021;595(7866):261-265. doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03661-6 Read abstract

Patzke C, Dai J, Brockmann MM, et al. Cannabinoid receptor activation acutely increases synaptic vesicle numbers by activating synapsins in human synapses. Mol Psychiatry. 2021;26(11):6253-6268. doi:10.1038/s41380-021-01095-0 Read abstract

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