Tracy Tran
| Tracy Tran | |
| Nationality | American |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Neuroscientist, academic researcher |
| Employer | University of Vermont |
| Known for | Research on semaphorin and plexin signaling in neuronal development |
| Alma mater | Johns Hopkins University |
Tracy Tran is a neuroscientist whose laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms that guide the growth, branching, and pruning of neurons during brain development. Over the course of her career she has held research and faculty positions at Johns Hopkins University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Rutgers University, Newark, before joining the faculty of the University of Vermont.[1][2] Her work centers on the semaphorin and plexin family of signaling proteins and their role in dendrite morphogenesis, synaptic connectivity, and neurological disorders including autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy.[3]
Education
Tracy Tran's early scientific training and doctoral or postdoctoral research work were conducted at Johns Hopkins University, where she was affiliated with research on semaphorin-mediated sensory and motor axon guidance, work that was supported by National Institutes of Health funding awarded to Johns Hopkins University.[1] This early research established the foundation for her subsequent independent laboratory's focus on semaphorin and plexin receptor signaling pathways in the developing nervous system.[3]
Career
Tran began her independent research career with NIH-funded work at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where she studied the role of semaphorin signaling in neuronal recovery from dendritic injury using comparative in-vitro and in-vivo case studies.[1] This project, funded at $454,319, examined how semaphorin pathways contribute to the repair and recovery of damaged dendrites following injury.[1]
She subsequently moved to Rutgers University, Newark, where she led two major National Science Foundation-funded research programs. The first, awarded on February 12, 2016, and titled "Plexin-A4 Signaling Regulates Diverse Cellular Morphologies in the Developing Nervous System," received $674,894 in funding and examined how the Plexin-A4 receptor governs distinct cellular shapes and structures during nervous system development.[2] The second, a collaborative NSF-BSF (Binational Science Foundation) award beginning July 8, 2021, titled "Uncovering the specific mechanisms of spine and axonal pruning mediated by Semaphorin-Plexin signaling," was funded at $1,072,235, making it the largest single grant of her career to date.[2] Together, these two NSF awards to Rutgers University, Newark totaled $1,747,129.[2]
At Rutgers University, Newark, Tran's laboratory produced a substantial body of published research on semaphorin-plexin and neuropilin signaling, including studies on corticostriatal transmission, hippocampal inhibition, and dendrite morphogenesis, several of which were published in the Journal of Neuroscience.[3] Tran currently holds a faculty position at the University of Vermont, where she continues her research program on semaphorin and plexin receptor biology in the mammalian brain.[4]
Research
Tran's research program addresses the molecular mechanisms by which semaphorin ligands and their plexin and neuropilin receptors regulate neuronal morphology, connectivity, and circuit function. Her published work spans multiple aspects of this signaling axis, from intracellular effectors to behavioral consequences of receptor loss.
One line of investigation examines how Semaphorin3A and its receptor PlexinA3 interact with the Scribble scaffolding protein to regulate cyclic GMP signaling required for the proper development of apical dendrites, published in Cell Reports in 2022.[3] A companion 2022 study published in the Journal of Neuroscience investigated how Neuropilin 2 and Plexin-A3 receptors regulate functional connectivity and neuronal excitability specifically within layers 4 and 5 of the cerebral cortex.[3]
Tran has also examined the relationship between neuropilin signaling and neurodevelopmental disease phenotypes. A 2021 study, made available as a preprint on bioRxiv and cited 21 times, reported that mice lacking neuropilin 2 exhibit reduced hippocampal inhibition alongside enhanced comorbidity between autism-like behaviors and epilepsy, providing a potential mechanistic link between semaphorin signaling deficits and neurodevelopmental disorders that frequently co-occur clinically.[3]
Her 2020 paper in the Journal of Neuroscience, cited 26 times, described how Plexin-A4 signaling operates through modular and distinct pathways involving the FARP2 protein and the small GTPase Rac1 to control dendrite morphogenesis, a mechanistic study that has become one of her most cited works.[3] A related 2019 study, also published in the Journal of Neuroscience and cited 27 times, examined how Neuropilin 2 signaling mediates corticostriatal transmission, the maintenance of dendritic spines, and goal-directed learning behavior in mice, connecting molecular receptor signaling to higher-order cognitive and behavioral outcomes.[3]
Beyond the cerebral cortex and striatum, Tran's research has extended into sensory systems. A 2017 study published in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, cited 8 times, reported that Semaphorin3A reduces the sprouting of adult rod photoreceptors in an in vitro model, suggesting a role for semaphorin signaling in retinal cell biology and potentially in retinal injury or regeneration contexts.[3] That same year, she co-authored a review article on the functions of neuropilins in wiring the nervous system and their involvement in neurological disorders, as well as a methods chapter describing a primary culture approach for studying cortical dendrite morphology and spine organization regulated by secreted semaphorins, published in the Methods in Molecular Biology series.[3]
According to Semantic Scholar records, Tran has published 35 papers that have collectively accumulated 2,060 citations, yielding an h-index of 20.[3] Her research has been supported by a combined total of over $2.3 million in federal grant funding across NIH and NSF awards.[1][2]
Recognition
Tran's research program has been recognized through sustained competitive federal funding from both the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health across multiple institutions, including a binational collaborative award through the NSF-BSF program that supported joint research between American and Israeli scientists on spine and axonal pruning mechanisms.[2] Her publications in the Journal of Neuroscience and Cell Reports, journals with rigorous peer review standards in the neuroscience field, reflect the standing of her work within the neurodevelopmental biology research community.[3]
Publications
- Tran, T. et al. "Semaphorin3A/PlexinA3 association with the Scribble scaffold for cGMP increase is required for apical dendrite development." Cell Reports (2022).[3]
- Tran, T. et al. "Neuropilin 2/Plexin-A3 Receptors Regulate the Functional Connectivity and the Excitability in the Layers 4 and 5 of the Cerebral Cortex." Journal of Neuroscience (2022).[3]
- Tran, T. et al. "Reduced hippocampal inhibition and enhanced autism-epilepsy comorbidity in mice lacking neuropilin 2." bioRxiv (2021).[3]
- Tran, T. et al. "Modular and Distinct Plexin-A4/FARP2/Rac1 Signaling Controls Dendrite Morphogenesis." Journal of Neuroscience (2020).[3]
- Tran, T. et al. "Neuropilin 2 Signaling Mediates Corticostriatal Transmission, Spine Maintenance, and Goal-Directed Learning in Mice." Journal of Neuroscience (2019).[3]
- Tran, T. et al. "Functions of Neuropilins in Wiring the Nervous System and Their Role in Neurological Disorders." (2017).[3]
- Tran, T. et al. "Channeling, Rostral Growth, and Intracortical Targeting." (2017).[3]
- Tran, T. et al. "Sema3A Reduces Sprouting of Adult Rod Photoreceptors In Vitro." Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science (2017).[3]
- Tran, T. et al. "Retinal Cell Biology Sema3A Reduces Sprouting of Adult Rod Photoreceptors In Vitro." (2017).[3]
- Tran, T. et al. "Regulation of Cortical Dendrite Morphology and Spine Organization by Secreted Semaphorins: A Primary Culture Approach." Methods in Molecular Biology (2017).[3]
External links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 National Institutes of Health, NIH RePORTER grant database, project records for Tracy Tran.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 National Science Foundation, NSF Award Search database, award records for Tracy Tran.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 Semantic Scholar author profile, Tracy Tran, publication and citation record.
- ↑ University of Vermont faculty directory listing for Tracy Tran.