Areas of Interest
I am interested in identification of critical genes and proteins required for development and function of the auditory and vestibular systems, the interactions between these molecules, and the regulatory programs that control their expression. My laboratory uses both forward and reverse genetic approaches to evaluate the effects of mutations on inner function in the mouse. We use these approaches to better understand the nature of inherited hearing loss in humans, to characterize gene function, and to develop potential therapies to alleviate deafness and vestibular dysfunction. We are also using mouse models to investigate molecular pathways that may offer protection and/or repair of the auditory system in response to noise overstimulation, toxic drug exposures, or aging.
Honors & Awards
Predoctoral Genetics Training Fellowship 1984 - 1988
University of Michigan Arthur Thurnau Fellowship 1984 - 1987
University of Michigan Cancer Fellowship1988 - 1989
Postdoctoral Developmental Biology Training Fellowship 1991 - 1992
National Research Service Award 1993 - 1995
Credentials
Indiana University, 1984 BS Biology
University of Michigan, 1991 Ph.D.Microbiology. and Immunology
Published Articles or Reviews
Avenarius MR, Yun J, Askew C, Jones S, Hunker KL, Géléoc GSG, Dolan DF, Raphael Y, and Kohrman DC. Grxcr2 is Required for Stereocilia Morphogenesis in the Inner Ear. Under review 2014, PloS One.
Imtiaz A, Kohrman DC, Naz S. A frameshift mutation in GRXCR2 causes recessively inherited hearing loss. Under review 2014, Human Mutation.
Kohrman DC and Raphael Y. Gene therapy for deafness. Gene Ther. 20:1119-23, 2013.
Schacht J, Altschuler RA, Burke DT, Chen S, Dolan DF,
Galeckic AT, Kohrman DC, and Miller RA. Alleles that modulate late life hearing in genetically heterogeneous mice. Neurobiology of Aging, 33(8):1842.e15-29, 2012.
Gong, TW, Fairfield DA, Fullarton L, Dolan DF, Kohrman DC, Altschuler RA, and Lomax MI. Induction of heat shock proteins by hyperthermia and noise over-stimulation in Hsf1-/- mice. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 13:29-37, 2012.
Odeh H, Hunker KL, Belyantseva IA, Azaiez H, Avenarius MR, Zheng L, Peters LM, Gagnon LH, Hagiwara N, Skynner MJ, Brilliant MH, Allen ND, Riazuddin S, Johnson KR, Raphael Y, Najmabadi H, Friedman TB, Bartles JR, Smith RJH, and Kohrman DC. Mutations in Grxcr1 are the basis for inner ear dysfunction in the pirouette mouse. American Journal of Human Genetics 86:148-160, 2010. [PMCID: PMC2820167]
Shen Y-C, Jeyabalan AK, Wu KL, Hunker KL, Kohrman DC, Thompson DL, Liu D, Barald KF. The transmembrane inner ear (tmie) gene contributes to vestibular and lateral line development and function in the zebrafish (Danio rerio). Dev Dyn. 237:941-52, 2008.
Gong TWL, Karolyi JI, MacDonald J, Kohrman DC, Camper SA, and Lomax MI. Age-associated Changes in Cochlear Gene Expression in Normal and Shaker 2 Mice. J. Assoc. Res. Otolarng.7:317-28, 2006. [PMCID: PMC2504614]