Margit Burmeister Ph.D.
| 5061 BSRB 2200 |
| Ann Arbor, MI 48109 |
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We are interested in the identification and functional understanding of genes involved in behavior, neurological and psychiatric disorders.
We have identified genes causing behavioral/neurological changes in humans as well as in mice. We aim now to understand how the molecular defects cause behavioral changes or phenotypes of thedisorder. We study a protein of unknown function, Caytaxin, that when missing causes ataxia in both humans and mice. With microarrays, yeast-2-hybrid and other types of analyses we are determining the pathways in the cell that this protein acts in. We use family-based genetic linkage studies to search for additional ataxia genes.
We knocked out the neurological subunit of the protein complex AP-3 in mice and found that these mice had seizures and a very disturbed anxiety response. We also clarified the different roles of different forms of the AP-3 complex using cell biological techniques.
A major emphasis in the laboratory is to use traits related to risk for depression and substance abuse. Personality, specifically high Neuroticism score and impulsivity, are examples of such traits associated with risk for depression and substance abuse. We have identified several genetic variants associated with personality variations.
Microarray analysis and SNP genotyping are used to understand the involvement of genes in psychiatric disorders and behavior, especially alcoholism, bipolar and major depression. In this process, statistical analyses are performed on complex datasets, often in collaboration with Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, and molecular methods are being improved.
This work requires interdisciplinary approaches. We therefore work with psychologists, psychiatrists, other clinicians, biochemists, other neuroscientists, statisticians and bioinformaticians in our studies.
Li J and Burmeister M: Genetical Genomics: Combining genetics with gene expression analysis. Human Molecular Genetics 14: R163-R169, 2005.
Saunders EH, Scott LJ, McInnis MG, Burmeister M: Familiality and Diagnostic Patterns of Subphenotypes in the National Institutes of Mental Health Bipolar Sample. American Journal of Medical Genetics – Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 2007 in press.
Seong, E., Wainer, B. H., Hughes, E. D., Saunders, T. L., Burmeister, M., and Faundez, V. Genetic Analysis of the Neuronal and Ubiquitous AP-3 Adaptor Complexes Reveals Divergent Functions in Brain. Mol. Biol. Cell 16: 128-140, 2005.
Sliwerska E, Meng F, Speed TP, Jones EG, Bunney WE, Akil H, Watson SJ, Burmeister M. SNPs on chips: the hidden genetic code in expression arrays. Biol Psychiatry. 2007 Jan 1;61(1):13-6.
Sen S, Villafuerte S, Nesse R, Stoltenberg SF, Hopcian J, Gleiberman L, Weder AB and Burmeister M: Serotonin Transporter and GABA(A) Alpha 6 Receptor Variants are Associated with Neuroticism. Biol. Psych. 55(3): 244-249, 2004.
Sen S, Burmeister M, Ghosh D: Meta-Analysis of the Association Between a Serotonin Transporter Promoter Polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) and Anxiety-Related Personality Traits. Amer. J. Med. Genet. (Neuropsychiatric Genetics): 127B1: 85-89, 2004.
Seong E, Saunders TL, Stewart C, Burmeister M: Knock¤outs in C57BL/6 or 129 ES cells: That is the question. Trends Genet. 20(20): 59-62, 2004.
Bomar JM, Benke PJ, Slattery EL, Puttagunta R, Taylor LP, Seong E, Nystuen A, Chen W, Albin RL, Patel PD, Kittles RA, Sheffield VC, Burmeister M: Mutations in a novel CRAL-TRIO domain encoding gene cause human Cayman Ataxia and ataxia/dystonia in the jittery mouse. Nature Genetics 35: 264-269, 2003.
Sen S, Nesse RM, Stoltenberg SF, Li S, Gleiberman L, Chakravarti A, Weder AB & Burmeister M: A BDNF Coding Variant is Associated with the NEO Personality Inventory Domain Neuroticism, a Risk Factor for Depression. Neuropsychopharmacology 28: 397-401, 2003.
Seong E, Seasholtz AF, Burmeister M: Mouse models for psychiatric disorders. Trends in Genetics 18: 643-650, 2002.
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