Samuel L. Pfaff, Ph.D.
Professor

Email: pfaff@salk.edu


Education/Training

1983 Carleton College. B.A. Biology

1988 University of California, Berkeley. Ph.D. Molecular Biology


Positions

2005 - present
Professor
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Gene Expression Laboratories

2001-2005
Associate Professor
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Gene Expression Laboratories

1996-2001
Assistant Professor
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Gene Expression Laboratories

1996 - present
Adjunct Professor
University of California, San Diego
Department of Biology Department

1992 - 1996
Research Associate
Columbia University
Center for Neurobiology and Behavior and Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Mentor: Thomas Jessell

1988 - 1992
Research Associate
Vanderbilt University
Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
Mentor: William Taylor


Honors and Awards

2004 The Helen McLoraine Developmental Chair in Neurobiology

1999 PEW Scholar Award

1998 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow Award

1998 March of Dimes Basil O'Connor Scholar Award

1997 Whitehall Foundation Scholar Award

1997 McKnight Scholar Award in Neurobiology


Selected Publications

Macfarlan TS, Gifford WD, Driscoll S, Lettieri K, Rowe HM, Bonanomi D, Firth A, Singer O, Trono D, Pfaff SL. Embryonic stem cell potency fluctuates with endogenous retrovirus activity. Nature. 2012 Jul 5;487(7405):57-63.

Bonanomi D, Chivatakarn O, Bai G, Abdesselem H, Lettieri K, Marquardt T, Pierchala BA, Pfaff SL. Ret is a multifunctional coreceptor that integrates diffusible- and contact-axon guidance signals. Cell. 2012 Feb 3;148(3):568-82.

Bai G, Chivatakarn O, Bonanomi D, Lettieri K, Franco L, Xia C, Stein E, Ma L, Lewcock JW, Pfaff SL. Presenilin-dependent receptor processing is required for axon guidance. Cell. 2011 Jan 7;144(1):106-18.

Song MR, Shirasaki R, Cai CL, Ruiz EC, Evans SM, Lee SK, Pfaff SL. T-Box transcription factor Tbx20 regulates a genetic program for cranial motor neuron cell body migration. Development. 2006 Dec;133(24):4945-55. [PDF]

Shirasaki R, Lewcock JW, Lettieri K, Pfaff SL. FGF as a target-derived chemoattractant for developing motor axons genetically programmed by the LIM code. Neuron. 2006 Jun 15;50(6):841-53. [PDF]

Marquardt T, Shirasaki R, Ghosh S, Andrews SE, Carter N, Hunter T, Pfaff SL. Coexpressed EphA receptors and ephrin-A ligands mediate opposing actions on growth cone navigation from distinct membrane domains. Cell. 2005 Apr 8;121(1):127-39. [PDF]

For a complete list of publications, please follow this link to PubMed.


We are grateful for support from a number of private and public organizations, including:

The PEW Foundation
The McKnight Foundation
Christopher Reeves Paralysis Foundation
Muscular Dystrophy Association
The Chun Foundation
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
The Mather's Foundation
The J. Alexander Foundation
March of Dimes
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Whitehall Foundation


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