Dan Larhammar
Ph.D., Principal Investigator,Professor, Doctoral Supervisor
Email: danlarhammar@gdiist.cn
Personal Profile
Dan Larhammar received his PhD degree in medical science at Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, in 1984. He then studied neuropeptide Y (NPY), a multifunctional neuropeptide with strong stimulatory effect on appetite. After one year as visiting scientist at the Research Institute of Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California, his work focused on cloning and molecular pharmacology of receptors for NPY. His laboratory discovered several NPY receptors. His research then broadened to exploration of the molecular evolution of eyes in vertebrates and the origin of rods and cones in the retina. Numerous neurotransmitters and hormones and their receptors have been investigated with regard to their evolution in vertebrates. One project concerned the dopamine receptors involved in Parkinson's disease. Since several years he studies the molecular mechanisms for learning and long-term memory. Key players in this machinery are glutamate receptors of the AMPA and NMDA families and several proteins that regulate or are affected by these.
Dan Larhammar was appointed professor of molecular cell biology in the Faculty of Medicine at Uppsala University in 1994. He was elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 2007 and served as president of the Academy 2018-2022. He is a fellow of the International Science Council and a member of the European Academy. He has a strong interest in the distinction of science versus pseudoscience and has also investigated research fraud.
Laboratory of Cognition and Aging
The research will be pursued in two lines to explore the mechanisms of learning and memory. One line is focused on different types of glutamate receptors and their intricate regulation by several proteins. The other line aims to unveil the functional roles of glycosaminoglycans such as heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate in learning and ageing. Transgenic zebrafish and mouse models are utilized along with studies in cultured cells.
Single-cell RNA-seq analyses identify cell populations and genes involved in long-term memory. Spatial transcriptomic analyses identify key molecules expressed in the brain regions relevant to learning and memory. Behavioral memory studies are done using wildtype and genetically modified zebrafish. The mechanics of Alzheimers disease are investigated using both mouse and zebrafish as model systems.
Selected recent publications（All publications in the web https://www.uu.se/en/contact-and-organisation/staff?query=N96-4750）
196. Criveanu, D., Bergqvist, C. A., Larhammar, D., and Walczewska-Szewc, K. Identification of a new Kir6 potassium channel and comparison of properties of Kir6 subtypes by structural modelling and molecular dynamics. Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 9;247:125771 (2023). PMID: 37433419.
195. Lagman, D., Haines, H. J., Abalo, X. M., and Larhammar, D. Ancient multiplicity in cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) cation channel repertoire was reduced in the ancestor of Olfactores before re-expansion by whole genome duplications in vertebrates. PLOS ONE, e0279548 (2022). PMID: 36584110.
194. Morini, M., Bergqvist, C. A., Asturiano, J. F., Larhammar, D., and Dufour, S. Dynamic evolution of transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) ion channel family with numerous gene duplications and losses. Front. Endocrinol. 13:1013868 (2022). PMID: 36387917.
193. Li, Y., Pan, Y., Wang, Y., Jiang, Z., Akakuru, O. U., Li, M., Zhang, X., Yuan, B., Xing, J., Luo, L., Larhammar, D., Wu, A., Li, J. A D-peptide ligand of neuropeptide Y receptor Y1 serves as nanocarrier traversing of the blood brain barrier and targets glioma. Nano Today 44, 101465 (2022).
192. Ocampo Daza, D., Bergqvist, C. A., and Larhammar, D. The evolution of oxytocin and vasotocin receptor genes in jawed vertebrates: a clear case for gene duplications through ancestral whole-genome duplications. Frontiers Endocrinol. 264, 94-112 (2022). PMID: 35185783.
191. Garcia Concejo, A. and Larhammar, D. Protein kinase C family evolution in jawed vertebrates. Dev. Biol. 479, 77-90 (2021). PMID: 34329618.
188. Abalo, X. M., Lagman, D., Heras, G., Del Pozo, A., Eggert, J., and Larhammar, D. Circadian regulation of phosphodiesterase 6 genes in zebrafish differs between cones and rods: Implications for photopic and scotopic vision. Vision Res. 166, 43-51 (2020). PMID: 31855667.
186. Shebanits, K., Vasile, S., Xu, B., Gutiérrez-de-Terán, H., and Larhammar, D. Functional characterization in vitro of twelve naturally occurring variants of the human pancreatic polypeptide receptor NPY4R. Neuropeptides 76:101933 (2019). PMID: 31230758.
184. Pedersen, J. E., Bergqvist, C. A., and Larhammar, D. Evolution of vertebrate nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. BMC Evol. Biol. 19:38 (2019). PMID: 30700248.
183. Pedersen, J. E., Bergqvist, C. A., and Larhammar, D. Evolution of the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in vertebrates. eNeuro 5, 1-12 (2018). PMID: 30564629.
181. Shebanits, K., Andersson-Assarsson, J. C., Larsson, I., Carlsson, L. M. S., Feuk, L., and Larhammar, D. Copy number of pancreatic polypeptide receptor gene NPY4R correlates with body mass index and waist circumference. PLOS ONE 13(4):e0194668 (2018). PMID: 29621259.
180. Yang, Z., Han, S., Keller, M., Burkert, K., Bender, B. J., Bosse, M., Kaiser, A., Kögler, L. M., Wifling, D., Bernhardt, G., Plank, N., Littmann, T., Schmidt, P., Yi, C., Li, B., Ye, S., Zhang, R., Xu, B., Larhammar, D., Stevens, R. C., Huster, D., Meiler, J., Zhao, Q., Beck-Sickinger, A. G., Buschauer, A., and Wu, B. Structural basis of ligand binding modes at the neuropeptide Y Y1 receptor. Nature 556, 520-524 (2018). PMID: 29670288.
178. Ocampo Daza D. and Larhammar D. Evolution of the growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL) and somatolactin (SL) family. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 264, 94-112 (2018). PMID: 29339183.
177. Ocampo Daza, D. and Larhammar, D. Evolution of the receptors for growth hormone, prolactin, erythropoietin and thrombopoietin in relation to the vertebrate tetraploidizations. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 257, 143-160 (2018). PMID: 28652136.
176. Lagman, D., Franzén, I. E., Eggert, J., Larhammar, D., and Abalo, X. M. Evolution and expression of phosphodiesterase 6 genes unveils vertebrate novelty to control photosensitivity. BMC Evol. Biol., 16:124 (2016). PMID: 27296292.
174. Xu, B., Lagman, D., Sundström, G., and Larhammar, D. Neuropeptide Y family receptors Y1 and Y2 from sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 222, 106-115 (2015). PMID: 26255155.
Review article #15. Elphick, M. R., Mirabeau, O., and Larhammar, D. Evolution of neuropeptide signalling systems. J. Exp. Biol. 9, 221 (2018). PMID: 29440283. Correction in PMID: 30305362.
