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3258 TAMU Office: Lab: Fax: 979-845-2891 |
Biography | ||
| Vincent M. Cassone is Professor and Head in the Department of Biology. He received a bachelor's degree in English Literature and Biology from Colby College in 1975. He studied the neurochemistry of schizophrenia under Dr. Hana Dolezalova at the University of Connecticut, where he received an M.S. in 1977. He then moved to Eugene, Oregon and began study of the avian biological clock under Dr. Michael Menaker at the University of Oregon, earning his Ph.D. in Biology in 1983. Cassone's dissertation research showed that the avian clock was composed of multiple circadian oscillators residing in at least 4 structures: the pineal gland, the two retinae and the avian homologue of the mammalian suprachiasmatic nucleus. He formalized this research in a model called the "neuroendocrine loop" model for avian circadian organization. Cassone then moved to S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook for a year, where he studied comparative neuroanatomy under Dr. Robert Y. Moore. He then had the opportunity to spend a year in Australia as a LaTrobe Fellow at LaTrobe University in Bundoora, Victoria with Dr. Stuart Armstrong. In Australia, Cassone studied both marsupial circadian organization and the role of the pineal hormone melatonin in placental rat locomotor rhythms. He established the formal properties of circadian entrainment in dasyurid marsupials and showed these "alternative mammals" shared most circadian properties with eutherians. He also demonstrated the pharmacological properties of the hormone melatonin on rats and showed the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus was this important hormone's site of action in controlling behavioral rhythms. In 1985, he returned to Stony Brook as a Research Assistant Professor to continue his research on comparative neuroanatomy and on the effects of melatonin in avian and mammalian brain metabolism until 1988, when he moved to Texas A&M University. He continues his research on comparative aspects of biological clock function. His research interests are the evolution of biological clocks and the mechanisms by which the clock regulates vertebrate behavior. His laboratory employs behavioral, electrophysiological and molecular biological techniques. | |||
| Chronobiology and Neuroscience | |||
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Research in the Cassone laboratory is directed at the mechanisms and neuroendocrine pathways by which the biological clock regulates physiology and behavior in amniotic vertebrates. All eukaryotic and at least some prokaryotic organisms express a temporal organization as well as a spatial organization such that many molecular, physiological and behavioral events are strictly timed. This temporal organization reflects a biological clock derived primarily from endogenous cellular oscillators that are somehow coupled or entrained to the prevailing environmental cycles. Students in the laboratory are encouraged to develop independent projects based upon scientific questions within the framework of the laboratory's mission. Weekly lab meetings and personal supervision of laboratory projects help to integrate technically diverse but philosophically intimate graduate and undergraduate research. Functional Genomics of the Avian Circadian Clock: The avian pineal gland is a circadian oscillator and photoreceptor, which regulates birds' physiology and behavior via the secretion of the hormone melatonin. While the molecular mechanisms underlying melatonin biosynthesis have been largely worked out, the molecular clockworks regulating the circadian rhythm, the photoentrainment and the link of the oscillators and photoreceptors to the melatonin output are unknown. Using functional genomics in collaboration with Dr. Terry Thomas, the lab is characterizing the changes in mRNAs encoding avian clock genes to identify the critical steps. Then, the translation of these gene products is blocked by RNA interference in a pineal cell culture system. Mechanisms of Melatonin Action: By employing several brain imaging techniques, we have found that the sites of melatonin action include the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) and many structures associated with visual function. We are studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which melatonin regulates neuronal function in these areas and the system level consequences of circadian regulation of visual processes. One of the most exciting sites of melatonin action in the brain is the astrocyte, a glial cell that is the most abundant central nervous cell-type. In collaboration with Dr. Mark Zoran, we have found that melatonin directly affects astrocytic metabolism and ionic conductances, and we are investigating the mechanisms by which melatonin alters glial function in vitro. We are also investigating the system and tissue level consequences of this regulation. Mammalian Circadian Organization: We are addressing central issues in mammalian circadian organization at the cellular, molecular and physiological levels. First, in collaboration with Dr. David Earnest, we are studying the mechanisms of circadian rhythms in an immortalized cell-line derived from embryonic suprachiasmatic nucleus of rats. We have shown these cells to express circadian rhythms in vitro, to confer circadian rhythms to other in vitro cell cultures and to impose circadian rhythms on rat behavior in vivo when transplanted into the hypothalamus. We are interested in the mechanisms by which the SCN confers rhythmicity in vitro and in vivo. We are currently investigated mechanisms by which the cardiovascular system is affected by this clock. |
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| Selected Publications | |||
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Cassone, V.M., P.A. Bartell, B.J. Earnest, and V. Kumar (2008) Duration of melatonin regulates seasonal changes in song control nuclei of the house sparrow, Passer domesticus: independence from gonads and circadian entrainment. J. Biol. Rhythms 23: 49-58 Menger, G, Allen, G. ; Neuendorff, N., Nahm, S. Thomas, T., Cassone, V.M. Earnest, D.J., (2007) Circadian Profiling of the Transcriptome in NIH/3T3 Fibroblasts: Comparison with Rhythmic Gene Expression in SCN2.2 Cells and the Rat SCN . Physiol. Genom. 29: 280-289. Golden, S.S, V.M. Cassone, and A. LiWang (2007) Shifting nanoscopic gears. Nature Structural Biology 14: 362-363. Qu, X, R.P. Metz, W.W. Porter, V,M. Cassone , and D.J. Earnest (2007) Disruption of clock gene expression alters responses of the AHR signaling pathway in the mouse mammary gland. Mol. Pharm. 72: 1349-1358 Hoogerwerf, W.A., G. Cornielissen, F. Halberg, T.C. Savidge, H.L. Hellmich, V.B. Shahinin and V.M. Cassone (2007) Clock gene expression in the murine gastrointestinal tract: endogenous rhythmicity and effects of a feeding regimen. Gastroenterology 133: 1250-1260 Cassone, V.M. (2006) The neuroendocrine loop model revisited: is it valid or even relevant? Neuroendocrine Correlates of Sleep/Wakefulness. Edited by D. Cardinali and S.R. Pandi-Perumal. Springer Science, NY pp. 41-58. Cantwell, E.L., and V.M. Cassone (2006) The chicken suprachiasmatic nuclei: I. efferent and afferent connections. J. Comp. Neurol. 496:97-120 Cantwell, E.L., and V.M. Cassone (2006) The chicken suprachiasmatic nucleus: II. Autoradiographic and immunohistochemical analyses. J. Comp. Neurol. 499: 442-457. Bell-Pedersen, D., V.M Cassone, D.J. Earnest, S.S. Golden, P. E. Hardin, T.L Thomas and M.J. Zoran (2005) Regulation of circadian rhythms by multiple oscillators: lessons from diverse organisms. Nature Reviews: Genetics 6: 544-556 Menger, G.J., K.P. Lu, T.L. Thomas, V.M. Cassone and D.J. Earnest (2005) Circadian profiling of the transcriptome in immortalized rat SCN cells. Physiol. Genom. 21(3):370-81. Bailey, M.J, and V.M. Cassone (2005) Melanopsin expression in the chick retina and pineal gland. Mol. Brain Res.. 134: 345-348. Peters, J.L., and V.M. Cassone (2005) Melatonin regulates circadian electroretinogram rhythms in a dose- and time-dependent fashion J. Pineal Res. 38:209-215 Peters, J.L., V.M. Cassone and M.J. Zoran (2005) Melatonin modulates inter-cellular calcium waves in brain astrocytes. Brain Res. 1031/1:10-19 Earnest, D.J., and V.M. Cassone (2005) Cell culture models for oscillator pacemaker function: Recipes for dishes with circadian clocks. Methods Enzymol. 393: 556-576. Bailey, M.J., P. D. Beremand, R. Hammer, E. Reidel, T. L. Thomas, and V.M. Cassone (2004) Transcriptional profiling of circadian patterns of mRNA expression in the chick retina J. Biol. Chem. 50: 52247-52254 (Published on-line September 23, 2004 M405679200) Allen, G., Y. Farnell, D. Bell-Pedersen, V.M. Cassone, and D.J. Earnest (2004) Effects of altered clock gene expression on the pacemaker properties of SCN2.2 cells and oscillatory properties of NIH/3T3 cells. Neuroscience 127: 989-999. Bailey, M.J., and V.M. Cassone (2004) Opsin photoisomerases in the chick retina and pineal gland: characterization, localization and circadian regulation. Inv. Opthalm. Vis. Sci. 45: 769-775 Cassone, V.M. (2004) Evolution of the Pineal Gland. Encyclopedia of Endocrine Diseases. Volume 3. Elsevier Press. pp609-614 Bailey, M.J., Beremand, P.D., Hammer, R., Bell-Pedersen, D., Thomas, T.L. and V.M. Cassone (2003) Transcriptional profiling of the chick pineal gland, a photoreceptive circadian oscillator and pacemaker. Mol. Endocrinol. 17: 2084-2095 Cassone, V.M. and F.K. Stephan. 2002. Central and peripheral regulation of feeding and nutrition by the mammalian circadian clock: implications for nutrition during manned space flight. Nutrition 18: 814-819. Adachi, A., A.K. Natesan, M. G. Whitfield-Rucker, S.E. Weigum and V.M. Cassone. 2002. Functional melatonin receptors and metabolic coupling in cultured chick astrocytes. Glia 39: 268-278. Natesan, A.K. and V.M. Cassone. 2002. Melatonin receptor mRNA localization and rhythmicity in the retina of the domestic chicken, Gallus domesticus. Visual Neuroscience 19: 265-274. Bailey, M.J. N.W. Chong, J. Xiong, and V.M. Cassone. 2002. Chickens' Cry2: Molecular analysis of an avian cryptochrome in retinal and pineal photoreceptors. FEBS Letters 513: 169-174. Allen, G., J. Rappe, D.J. Earnest, and V.M. Cassone. 2001. Oscillating on borrowed time: Immortalized SCN cells confer circadian rhythmicity to cultured fibroblasts. J. Neuroscience 21: 7937-7943. Cassone, V.M. 2000. The self-same beat of Time's wide wings. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97: 11677-11679. McGoogan, J.S., W.Q. Wu, and V.M. Cassone. 2000. Inter-ocular interference and circadian regulation of the chick electroretinogram. Vision Research 40(20): 2869-2879. Wu, W.Q., J.S. McGoogan, and V.M. Cassone. 2000. Circadian regulation of visually evoked potentials in the domestic pigeon, Columba livia. J. Biol. Rhythms 15: 317-328. McGoogan, J.M. and V.M. Cassone. 1999. Circadian clock regulation of the electroretinogram of the chick: Effects of pinealectomy and exogenous melatonin. Amer. J. Physiol.: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 277: R1418-R1427. Cassone, V.M., D.J. Earnest, F-Q. Liang, and M. Ratcliff. 1999. Immortal Time: Circadian Clock Properties of Rat Suprachiasmatic Cell Lines. Science 283: 693-695. Chong, N.W., V.M. Cassone, M. Bernard, D.C. Klein and P.M. Iuvone. 1998. Circadian expression of tryptophan hydroxylase mRNA in the chicken retina. Mol. Brain Res. 61: 243-250. Cassone, V.M., Natesan, A.K. 1997. Time and time again: The phylogeny of melatonin as a transducer of biological time. J. Biol. Rhythms 12: 489-497. Klein, D.C., S.L. Coon, P.H. Roseboom, J.L. Weller, M. Bernard, J.A. Gastel, M. Zatz, P.M. Iuvone, I.R. Rodriguez, V. Begay, J. Falcon, G.M. Cahill, V.M. Cassone, R. Baler. 1997. The melatonin rhythm generating enzyme: molecular regulation of serotonin N-acetyltransferase in the pineal gland. Rec. Prog. Horm. Res. 52: 307-358. Bernard, M., P. M. Iuvone, V.M. Cassone, P. Roseboom, S. Coon and D.C. Klein. 1997. Melatonin synthesis: photic and circadian regulation of serotonin N-acetyltransferase mRNA and activity in chicken pineal gland and retina. J. Neurochem. 68: 213-224. Click a cover to view the article:
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