Headshot of Peter Hitchcock

Education

PH.D. University of Alabama-Birmingham 

Research

Cellular and molecular biology of brain development.

Research in my lab is focused on the cellular and molecular biology of brain development, injury and regeneration. Currently two lines of research are being explored. The first is injury-induced neuronal regeneration in teleost fish; the second is ocular morphogenesis in mammals.

A hallmark of the human brain is that neural injuries are permanent; destroyed neurons are never replaced. In contrast, in the retina of the teleost fish, neuronal death stimulates regenerative neurogenesis and replacement of the damaged tissue. We are interested in the cellular and molecular events that underlie this phenomenon. We use a variety of techniques, including microscopy, immunocytochemistry, organ culture and molecular biology, in an attempt to identify the molecules and genes that are critical in the response of mature neurons to injury and the stimulation of neurogenesis.

As an example of the second line of research in my lab, we are currently investigating early eye and retinal development in a line of transgenic mice that have an insertional mutation that results in ocular colobomas. This research is a collaboration with the lab of William Richardson, Ph.D. at University College London, where the mice were originally identified. We are presently characterizing the embryonic and early postnatal development of the eye and retina in these animals as well as attempting to clone the gene that accounts for the phenotype.

The Hitchcock Lab maintains a website of protocols, members, and materials. Below are individuals who are part of the Hitchcock lab, see lab website for additional lab members.



Publications

Representative Publications

  1. Calinescu, A-A, P. A. Raymond and P. F. Hitchcock (2009) Midkine expression is regulated by the circadian clock in the retina of the zebrafish. Visual Neurosci. Oct 28:1-7.
  2. Ghosh, A.K., Murga-Zamalloa, C.A., Chan, L., Hitchcock, P.F., Anand Swaroop, A. and Khanna, H. (2009) Human retinopathy-associated mutations in Retinitis Pigmentosa GTPase Regulator (RPGR) affect primary cilia function in zebrafish. Human Molecular Genetics, Oct 8. [Epub ahead of print].
  3. Calinescu, A-A, T. Vihtelic, D. Hyde and P. F. Hitchcock. (2009) The cellular expression of Midkine-a and -b during retinal development and photoreceptor regeneration. J. Comp. Neurol., 514:1-10.
  4. Ochocinska, M. and P. F. Hitchcock (2009) NeuroD regulates proliferation of photoreceptor progenitors in the retina of the zebrafish. Mech Dev126:128-41.
  5. Craig, S. E.L., A.-A. Calinescu, A.-A. and P.F. Hitchcock (2008) Identification of the molecular signatures integral to regenerating photoreceptors in the retina of the zebrafish. Journal of Ocular Biology, Disease and Informatics. 1:73-83.
  6. Ochocinska, M and P.F. Hitchcock. (2007) Cellular expression of the bHLH transcription factor, neuroD, in the retina of the embryonic and larval zebrafish. J. Comp. Neurol. 501:1-12
  7. Mandal MN, Vasireddy V, Reddy GB, Wang X, Moroi SE, Pattnaik BR, Hughes BA, Heckenlively JR, Hitchcock PF, Jablonski MM, Ayyagari R.(2006) CTRP5 is a membrane-associated and secretory protein in the RPE and ciliary body and the S163R mutation of CTRP5 impairs its secretion. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2006 47:5505-13. 
  8. Chang B, Dacey MS, Hawes NL, Hitchcock PF, Milam AH, Atmaca-Sonmez P, Nusinowitz S, Heckenlively JR. (2006) Cone photoreceptor function loss-3, a novel mouse model of achromatopsia due to a mutation in Gnat2. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci.47:5017-21. 
  9. Mandal, M.N.A., V. Vasireddy, M.M. Jablonski, G. B. Reddy, X.F. Wang, S.E. Moroi, B.R. Pattnaik, B.A. Hughes, J.R. Heckenlively, P.F. Hitchcock, P.A. Sieving, R. Ayyagari (2006) CTRP5 is a membrane associated and secretory protein in the RPE and Ciliary Body and the L-ORD mutation of CTRP5 impairs its secretion. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 47:5017-21..
  10. Ochocinska, M.J. and P.F. Hitchcock (2007) Cellular expression of the bHLH transcription factor, neuroD, in the retina of the embryonic and larval zebrafish. J Comp Neurol. 501:1-12 (Photograph selected for journal cover)
  11. Craig, S. E.L., A.-A. Calinescu, A.-A. and P.F. Hitchcock (2008) Identification of the molecular signatures integral to regenerating photoreceptors in the retina of the zebrafish. Journal of Ocular Biology, Disease and Informatics. 1:73-83.
  12. Ochocinska, M. and P. F. Hitchcock (2009) NeuroD regulates proliferation of photoreceptor progenitors in the retina of the zebrafish. Mech Dev126:128-41.
  13. Calinescu, A-A, T. Vihtelic, D. Hyde and P. F. Hitchcock. (2009) The cellular expression of Midkine-a and –b during retinal development and photoreceptor regeneration. J. Comp. Neurol., 514:1-10 (Photograph selected for journal cover).
  14. Calinescu, A-A, P. A. Raymond and P. F. Hitchcock (2009) Midkine expression is regulated by the circadian clock in the retina of the zebrafish. Vis Neurosci. 26:495-501.
  15. Ghosh, A.K., Murga-Zamalloa, C.A., Chan, L., Hitchcock, P.F., Anand Swaroop, A. and Khanna, H. (2009) Human retinopathy-associated mutations in Retinitis Pigmentosa GTPase Regulator (RPGR) affect primary cilia function in zebrafish. Human Molecular Genetics, Oct 8. [Epub ahead of print].
  16. Craig, S.E.L, R. Thummel, H. Ahmed, G.R. Vasta, D.R. Hyde, P.F. Hitchcock (2010) The zebrafish galectin Drgal1-L2 is expressed by proliferating Müller glia and photoreceptor progenitors and regulates the regeneration of rod photoreceptors. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. Jan 13. [Epub ahead of print]

Latest Publications From PubMed