Constanza J Cortes
Overview
I am interested in understanding how our brain ages, and in particular, how it ages as an integrated part of a physiological system. My research represents a cutting edge approach to our understanding of brain plasticity and aging, as it suggests that distant tissues such as skeletal muscle may be fundamentally influencing the rate at which our brain ages. Importantly, as these conversations may be disrupted in age-associated neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer's disease), I am to uncover and develop novel therapeutics for these disorders.
Lieberman, Andrew P., et al. “Peripheral androgen receptor gene suppression rescues disease in mouse models of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy.” Cell Rep, vol. 7, no. 3, May 2014, pp. 774–84. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2014.02.008. Full Text
Cortes, Constanza J., et al. “Muscle expression of mutant androgen receptor accounts for systemic and motor neuron disease phenotypes in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy.” Neuron, vol. 82, no. 2, Apr. 2014, pp. 295–307. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2014.03.001. Full Text
Cortes, Constanza J., and Albert R. La Spada. “Motor neuron degeneration in spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy is a skeletal muscle-driven process: Relevance to therapy development and implications for related motor neuron diseases.” Rare Dis, vol. 2, no. 1, 2014, p. e962402. Pubmed, doi:10.4161/2167549X.2014.962402. Full Text Open Access Copy
Cortes, Constanza J., et al. “Early Delivery of Misfolded PrP from ER to Lysosomes by Autophagy.” Int J Cell Biol, vol. 2013, 2013, p. 560421. Pubmed, doi:10.1155/2013/560421. Full Text Open Access Copy
Cortes, Constanza J., et al. “Rapamycin delays disease onset and prevents PrP plaque deposition in a mouse model of Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease.” J Neurosci, vol. 32, no. 36, Sept. 2012, pp. 12396–405. Pubmed, doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.6189-11.2012. Full Text
Tunnell, E., et al. “A novel PRNP-P105S mutation associated with atypical prion disease and a rare PrPSc conformation.” Neurology, vol. 71, no. 18, Oct. 2008, pp. 1431–38. Pubmed, doi:10.1212/01.wnl.0000330237.94742.fa. Full Text
Cortes, Constanza J., et al. “Proacrosin/acrosin quantification as an indicator of acrosomal integrity in fresh and frozen dog spermatozoa.” Anim Reprod Sci, vol. 93, no. 1–2, June 2006, pp. 165–75. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/j.anireprosci.2005.08.001. Full Text
Retamal, Mauricio A., et al. “S-nitrosylation and permeation through connexin 43 hemichannels in astrocytes: induction by oxidant stress and reversal by reducing agents.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol. 103, no. 12, Mar. 2006, pp. 4475–80. Pubmed, doi:10.1073/pnas.0511118103. Full Text
Codelia, Verónica A., et al. “Inhibition of the vacuolar H(+)-pump with bafilomycin A1 does not induce acrosome reaction or activate proacrosin in mouse spermatozoa.” Biochem Biophys Res Commun, vol. 337, no. 4, Dec. 2005, pp. 1337–44. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2005.10.002. Full Text