Keaven Caro, an MD/PhD student in the Martinelli lab was awarded a position on the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellowship F30 from the National Institute of Mental Health. The goal of this funding is to promote the development of exceptional physician scientist trainees and their research on understanding the mechanisms underlying mental disorders.

For his project, Keaven is investigating C1QL proteins and their receptor, ADGRB3, which have been implicated in excitatory synapse formation/maintenance. He aims to test the hypothesis that these proteins function in a cell-cell adhesion complex by resolving their subcellular localization and testing their function at synapses using molecular genetics. Elucidating C1QL3’s mechanisms in promoting synapse formation/maintenance will provide insight into the synaptic dysfunctions that may contribute to synapatopathies such as autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia.

 

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