Profiles people listing in a scrolling container.
  1. Home
  2. People

Stefan Strack, PhD

Professor of Neuroscience and Pharmacology

Introduction

The Strack lab carries out foundational and translational research on mechanisms of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders (including autism) caused by mutation is signaling molecules, in particular protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and protein kinase A (PKA). We narrow in on pathologically significant mutations by structure prediction and other computational approaches as well as in vitro biochemical assays. The Strack lab is interested in the following areas: (1) understanding disease mechanisms in Houge-Janssens Syndrome 1 (Jordan's Syndrome, caused by de novo mutations in the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) regulatory subunit PPP2R5D) and Marbach-Schaaf Neurodevelopmental Syndrome (caused by de novo mutations in the protein kinase A (PKA) regulatory subunit PRKAR1B); (2) understanding cognitive impairment is cerebellar disorders (Ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay); (3) development of phosphodiesterase inhibitors for the treatment of neurodevelopmental and -degenerative disorders; (4) regulation of PP2A by proteasomal degradation via KLHL15. The laboratory uses both germline and conditional (floxed) mouse models of neurological disorders for behavioral, imaging, biochemical, and histopathological experiments. We also use primary neuronal and immortalized cell culture systems to study disease-mutant proteins in vitro.

Current Positions

  • Professor of Neuroscience and Pharmacology
  • Professor of Pathology
  • John Paul Long Professor of Pharmacology
  • Vice Chair, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology

Education

  • MS in Computer Science, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY
  • PhD in Biology, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY
  • Fellow, Deutscher Academischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD) Fellowship, Wurzburg-Albany Exchange Program
  • Fellow, Deutsche Studienstiftung for Academic Excellence
  • Fellow in Teaching Fellowship, Stat University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY
  • Fellow in Postdoctoral Fellowship, Morphology/Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Assoc.

Graduate Program Affiliations

Center, Program and Institute Affiliations

Research Interests

  • Regulation of neuronal plasticity, signal transduction and survival by protein phosphorylation; protein phosphatase 2A structure/function, regulation of mitochondrial fission/fusion by kinases and phosphatases, neurodevelopmental disorders and intellectual disabilities.

Selected Publications

  • Chen C, Merrill RA, Jong CJ, Strack S. (2024) Driving mitochondrial fission improves cognitive, but not motor deficits in a mouse model of Ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay. Res Sq (Preprint) Apr 10; rs.3.rs-4178088. DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4178088/v1. PMID: 38659734. PMCID: PMC11042405.
  • Hardy JC; Pool EH, Brystens JGH, Zhou X, Li Q, Zhou DR, Palay M, Tan G, Chen L, Choi JLC, Lee HN, Strack S. (2024) Molecular determinants and signaling effects of PKA RI-alpha phase separation. Mol Cell. Apr 18; 84(8):1570-1584.e7. DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.03.002. PMID: 38537638. PMCID: PMC11031308.
  • Glebov-McCloud AGP, Saide WS, Gaine ME, Strack S. (2024) Protein Kinase A in neurological disorders. J Neurodev Disord. Mar 13; 16(1):9. DOI: 10.1186/s11689-024-09525-0. PMID: 38481146. PMCID: PMC10936040.
  • Wu C-G, Balakrishnan VK, Merrill RA, Parihar PS, Konovolov K, Chen Y-C, Xu Z, Wei H, Sundaresan R, Cui Q, Wadzinski BE, Swingle MR, Musiyenko A, Chung WK, Honkanen RE, Suzuki A,Huang X, Strack S, Xing Y. (2024) B568 long-disordered arms form a dynamic PP2A regulation interface coupled with global allostery and Jordan's syndrome mutations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Jan 2; 121(1):e2310727120. DOI: 10.1073/pna.2310727120. PMID: 38150499. PMCID: PMC10769853.
  • Brennecke BR, Yang U, Liu S, Ilerisoy FS, Ilerisoy BN, Joglekar A, Kim LB, Peachee SJ, Richtsmeier SL, Stephens SB, Sander EA, Strack S, Moninger TO, Ankrum JA, Imai Y. (2023) Utilization of commercial collagens for preparing well-differentiated human beta cells for confocal microscopy. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). May 25; 14:1187216. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1187216. PMID: 37305047. PMCID: PMC10248405.
  • Bastola T, Perkins GA, Kim KY, Choi S, Kwon JW, Shen Z, Strack S, Ju WK. (2023) Role of A-Kinase Anchoring Protein 1 in Retinal Ganglion Cells: Neurodegeneration and Neuroprotection. Cells Jun 3; 12(11):1539. doi: 10.3390/cells12111539. PMID: 37296658. PMCID: PMC10252895.
  • Guo, D. F., Merrill, R. A., Qian, L., Hsu, Y., Zhang, Q., Lin, Z., Thedens, D. R., Usachev, Y. M., Grumbach, I., Sheffield, V. C., Strack, S. & Rahmouni, K. (2023). The BBSome regulates mitochondria dynamics and function. Mol Metab 67 101654. DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2022.101654. PMID: 36513220. PMCID: PMC9792363.
  • Li, Y., Balakrishnan, V. K., Rowse, M., Wu, C. G., Bravos, A. P., Yadav, V. K., Ivarsson, Y., Strack, S., Novikova, I. V. & Xing, Y. (2022). Coupling to short linear motifs creates versatile PME-1 activities in PP2A holoenzyme demethylation and inhibition. eLife 11 e79736. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.79736. PMID: 35924897. PMCID: PMC9398451.
  • Mishra, A., Liu, S., Promes, J., Harata, M., Sivitz, W. I., Fink, B. D., Bhardwaj, G., O'Neill, B. T., Kang, C., Sah, R., Strack, S., Stephens, S. B., King, T. H., Jackson, L., Greenberg, A. S., Anokye-Danso, F., Ahima, R. S., Ankrum, J. A. & Imai, Y. (2021). Perilipin2 down-regulation in β cells impairs insulin secretion under nutritional stress and damages mitochondria. JCI insight. DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.144341. PMID: 33784258.
  • Song, J., Merrill, R. A., Usachev, A. Y. & Strack, S. (2020). The X-linked intellectual disability gene product and E3 ubiquitin ligase KLHL15 degrades  doublecortin proteins to constrain neuronal dendritogenesis. The Journal of biological chemistry. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.RA120.016210. PMID: 33199366.