Department of Veterinary Medicine

Cambridge Veterinary School

Research in Veterinary Medicine

Robin Franklin

Position(s): Professor of Neuroscience; Departmental Director of Research

Email: rjf1000@cam.ac.uk

Tel.: +44 (0)1223 337642

Other relevant links

Research description

Olig2 neural stem/precursor cells expressing an inducible green marker gene within an area of experimentally-induced CNS demyelination

The Franklin lab is interested in the mechanisms of CNS regeneration with a particular focus on remyelination, an adult stem/precursor cell-mediated process in which new myelin sheaths are restored to demyelinated axons. Using developmental-, transplantation-, chemical-, transgenic- and viral vector-based in vivo models in both mammals and fish, combined with tissue culture studies, we are examining extrinsic (environmental) and intrinsic (transcriptional) factors that govern the differentiation of adult neural stem/precursor cells into oligodendrocytes and other glia following CNS injury. We also work on the stem/precursor cells of the adult olfactory epithelium. I am also Director of the MS Society Cambridge Centre for Myelin Repair.

Main collaborators

  • David Rowitch, UCSF
  • Charles ffrench-Constant, University of Edinburgh
  • Bill Richardson, UCL
  • Amy Wagers, Harvard Medical School
  • Patrizia Casaccia-Bonnefil, University of New Jersey Medical School
  • Ueli Suter, ETH, Zurich

Key publications since 2001

  • Huang JK, Jarjour AA, Nait Oumesmar B, Kerninon C, Williams A, Krezel W, Kagechika H, Bauer J, Zhao C, Evercooren AB, Chambon P, Ffrench-Constant C, Franklin RJ. Retinoid X receptor gamma signaling accelerates CNS remyelination. Nat Neurosci. 2011 Jan;14(1): 45-53. [PubMed]
  • Zawadzka, M., L. E. Rivers, S. P. Fancy, C. Zhao, R. Tripathi, F. Jamen, K. Young, A. Goncharevich, H. Pohl, M. Rizzi, D. H. Rowitch, N. Kessaris, U. Suter, W. D. Richardson and R. J. Franklin (2010), CNS-resident glial progenitor/stem cells produce Schwann cells as well as oligodendrocytes during repair of CNS demyelination. Cell Stem Cell 6(6): 578-90. [PubMed]
  • Fancy SP, Baranzini SE, Zhao C, Yuk DI, Irvine KA, Kaing S, Sanai N, Franklin RJ, Rowitch DH (2009), “Dysregulation of the Wnt pathway inhibits timely myelination and remyelination in the mammalian CNS.” Genes Dev 23(13):1571-85
  • Shen S, Sandoval J, Swiss V, Li J, Dupree J, Franklin RJM Casaccia-Bonnefil P (2008) Age-dependent epigenetic control of differentiation inhibitors: a critical deteriminant of remyelination efficiency. Nature Neuroscience 11: 1024-1034
  • Franklin RJM, ffrench-Constant C. (2008) CNS remyelination - from biology to therapy. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 9: 839-855
  • Barraud P, He X, Zhao C, Ibanez C, Raha-Chowdhury R, Caldwell MA, Franklin RJM (2007) Contrasting effects of basic fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor on mouse neonatal olfactory mucosa cells. European Journal of Neuroscience 26: 3345-3357
  • Kotter MR, Li W-W, Chao Z, Franklin RJM (2006) Myelin impairs CNS remyelination by inhibiting oligodendrocyte precursor cell differentiation. Journal of Neuroscience 26: 328-332.
  • Dubois-Dalcq M, ffrench-Constant C, Franklin RJM (2005) Enhancing central nervous system remyelination in multiple sclerosis. Neuron 48: 9-12.
  • Dunning MD, Lakatos A, Loizou L, Kettunen M, ffrench-Constant C, Brindle KM, Franklin RJM (2004) Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO)-labelled Schwann cells and olfactory ensheathing cells can be traced in vivo by magnetic resonance imaging and retain functional properties following transplantation into the CNS. Journal of Neuroscience 24: 9799-9810.
  • Arnett HA, Fancy SPJ, Alberta JA, Zhao C, Plant SR, Som S, Raine CS, Rowitch D, Franklin RJM*, Stiles CD* (2004) The bHLH transcription factor Olig1 is required for repair of demyelinated lesions in the CNS Science 306: 2111-2115. (* joint corresponding authors)
  • Fancy SPJ, Zhao C, Franklin RJM (2004) Increased expression of Nkx2.2 and Olig2 identifies reactive oligodendrocyte progenitor cells responding to demyelination in the adult CNS. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience 27: 247-254.
  • Stidworthy MF, Genoud S, Li W-W, Leone DP, Mantei N, Suter U, Franklin RJM (2004) Notch1 and Jagged1 are expressed after CNS demyelination but are not a major rate-determining factor during remyelination. Brain 127: 1928-1941.
  • Penderis J, Shields SA, Franklin RJM (2003) Impaired remyelination and depletion of oligodendrocyte progenitors does not occur following repeated episodes of focal demyelination in the rat CNS. Brain 126: 1382-1391.