Doris E. Kretzschmar, Ph.D.

  • Professor, Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences
  • Associate Professor of Molecular and Medical Genetics, School of Medicine
  • Molecular and Medical Genetics Graduate Program, School of Medicine
  • Neuroscience Graduate Program, School of Medicine
  • Program in Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, School of Medicine

Biography

We are using Drosophila to study basic mechanisms of neurodegeneration. Currently, we are focusing on two proteins that play key roles in Alzheimer’s disease; the Amyloid Precursor Protein and Tau. We are investigating what effects disease-associated changes in these proteins have on their functions and how this effects the genetic pathways these proteins are involved in. To address this, we use behavioral assays, histology and confocal imaging, as well as various molecular and sequencing techniques. Using genetic manipulations, we study whether other proteins can ameliorate disease-associated phenotypes or contribute to the pathogenicity. In a second project, we are investigating effects of aging on behavior and the function of the nervous system. In addition, my group is part of a research center that tests effects of botanical dietary supplements on enhancing resilience during aging and in neurodegenerative diseases.

Education and training

  • Degrees

    • Ph.D., 1991, Univeristy of Würzburg

Publications

Selected publications

  • Nash, T.R., Chow, E.S., Law, A.D., Fu S.D., Fuszara E., Biska A., Bebas P., Kretzschmar, D., Giebultowicz, J.M. Daily blue-light exposure shortens lifespan and causes brain neurodegeneration in Drosophila. npj Aging and Mechanisms of Disease. 2019 Dec. 5(1), 8
  • Sunderhaus, E.R., Law, A.D., Kretzschmar, D. Disease-Associated PNPLA6 Mutations Maintain Partial Functions When Analyzed in Drosophila. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2019 Nov. 13,1207
  • Sunderhaus ER, Law AD, Kretzschmar D. ER responses play a key role in Swiss-Cheese/Neuropathy Target Esterase-associated neurodegeneration. Neurobiology of Disease. 2019 June 130,104520.
  • Rieche F, Carmine-Simmen K, Poeck B, Kretzschmar D, Strauss R. Drosophila Full-Length Amyloid Precursor Protein Is Required for Visual Working Memory and Prevents Age-Related Memory Impairment. Curr Biol. 2018 Mar 5;28(5):817-823.
  • Cassar M, Sunderhaus E, Wentzell JS, Kuntz S, Strauss R, Kretzschmar D. The PKA-C3 catalytic subunit is required in two pairs of interneurons for successful mating of Drosophila. Sci Rep. 2018 Feb 6;8(1):2458.
  • Reduced Expression of Foxp1 as a Contributing Factor in Huntington's Disease. Louis Sam Titus ASC, Yusuff T, Cassar M, Thomas E, Kretzschmar D, D'Mello SR. J Neurosci. 2017 Jul 5;37(27):6575-6587.
  • McFerrin J, Patton BL, Sunderhaus ER, Kretzschmar D. NTE/PNPLA6 is expressed in mature Schwann cells and is required for glial ensheathment of Remak fibers. Glia. 2017 May;65(5):804-816. PMCID:PMC5357176.
  • Ramaker JM, Cargill RS, Swanson TL, Quirindongo H, Cassar M, Kretzschmar D, Copenhaver PF. Amyloid Precursor Proteins Are Dynamically Trafficked and Processed during Neuronal Development.Front Mol Neurosci. 2016 Nov 25;9:130.
  • Sunderhaus E., Kretzschmar D. Mass histology to quantify neurodegeneration in Drosophila. JOVE,2016 Dec 15.
  • Dutta S, Rieche F, Eckl N, Duch C, Kretzschmar D. Glial expression of Swiss cheese (SWS), the Drosophila orthologue of neuropathy target esterase (NTE), is required for neuronal ensheathment and function. Dis Model Mech. 2016 9(3):283-94. PMID: 26634819

Publications

  • Centella asiatica and its caffeoylquinic acid and triterpene constituents increase dendritic arborization of mouse primary hippocampal neurons and improve age-related locomotion deficits in Drosophila

    Frontiers in Aging
    1. Karon Rowe
    2. Nora E. Gray
    3. Jonathan A. Zweig
    4. Alexander Law
    5. Natascha Techen
    6. Claudia S. Maier
    7. Amala Soumyanath
    8. Doris Kretzschmar
  • The amyloid precursor protein intracellular domain induces sleep disruptions and its nuclear localization fluctuates in circadian pacemaker neurons in Drosophila and mice

    Neurobiology of Disease
    1. Dani M. Long
    2. Olga Cravetchi
    3. Eileen S. Chow
    4. Charles Allen
    5. Doris Kretzschmar
  • Chlorogenic Acids, Acting via Calcineurin, Are the Main Compounds in Centella asiatica Extracts That Mediate Resilience to Chronic Stress in Drosophila melanogaster

    Nutrients
    1. Helen Holvoet
    2. Dani M. Long
    3. Liping Yang
    4. Jaewoo Choi
    5. Luke Marney
    6. Burkhard Poeck
    7. Claudia S. Maier
    8. Amala Soumyanath
    9. Doris Kretzschmar
    10. Roland Strauss
  • Chronic blue light leads to accelerated aging in Drosophila by impairing energy metabolism and neurotransmitter levels

    Frontiers in Aging
    1. Jun Yang
    2. Yujuan Song
    3. Alexander D. Law
    4. Conno J. Rogan
    5. Kelsey Shimoda
    6. Danijel Djukovic
    7. Jeffrey C. Anderson
    8. Doris Kretzschmar
    9. David A. Hendrix
    10. Jadwiga M. Giebultowicz
  • Developing a Rational, Optimized Product of Centella asiatica for Examination in Clinical Trials

    Frontiers in Nutrition
    1. Kirsten M. Wright
    2. Janis McFerrin
    3. Armando Alcázar Magaña
    4. Joanne Roberts
    5. Maya Caruso
    6. Doris Kretzschmar
    7. Jan F. Stevens
    8. Claudia S. Maier
    9. Joseph F. Quinn
    10. Amala Soumyanath
  • FTD-associated mutations in Tau result in a combination of dominant and recessive phenotypes

    Neurobiology of Disease
    1. Alexander D. Law
    2. Marlène Cassar
    3. Dani M. Long
    4. Eileen S. Chow
    5. Jadwiga M. Giebultowicz
    6. Anjana Venkataramanan
    7. Roland Strauss
    8. Doris Kretzschmar
  • Withania somnifera and Centella asiatica Extracts Ameliorate Behavioral Deficits in an In Vivo Drosophila melanogaster Model of Oxidative Stress

    Antioxidants
    1. Kadine Cabey
    2. Dani M. Long
    3. Alexander Law
    4. Nora E. Gray
    5. Christine McClure
    6. Maya Caruso
    7. Parnian Lak
    8. Kirsten M. Wright
    9. Jan F. Stevens
    10. Claudia S. Maier
    11. Amala Soumyanath
    12. Doris Kretzschmar
  • Withania somnifera Extracts Promote Resilience against Age-Related and Stress-Induced Behavioral Phenotypes in Drosophila melanogaster; a Possible Role of Other Compounds besides Withanolides

    Nutrients
    1. Helen Holvoet
    2. Dani M. Long
    3. Alexander Law
    4. Christine McClure
    5. Jaewoo Choi
    6. Liping Yang
    7. Luke Marney
    8. Burkhard Poeck
    9. Roland Strauss
    10. Jan F. Stevens
    11. Claudia S. Maier
    12. Amala Soumyanath
    13. Doris Kretzschmar
  • Mitochondrial Redox Signaling Is Critical to the Normal Functioning of the Neuronal System

    Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
    1. Olena Odnokoz
    2. Kyle Nakatsuka
    3. Corbin Wright
    4. Jovelyn Castellanos
    5. Vladimir I. Klichko
    6. Doris Kretzschmar
    7. William C. Orr
    8. Svetlana N. Radyuk
  • Disease-Associated Mutant Tau Prevents Circadian Changes in the Cytoskeleton of Central Pacemaker Neurons

    Frontiers in Neuroscience
    1. Marlène Cassar
    2. Alexander D. Law
    3. Eileen S. Chow
    4. Jadwiga M. Giebultowicz
    5. Doris Kretzschmar
  • Lactate dehydrogenase expression modulates longevity and neurodegeneration in Drosophila melanogaster

    Aging
    1. Dani M. Long
    2. Ariel Frame
    3. Patrick N. Reardon
    4. Robert C. Cumming
    5. David A. Hendrix
    6. Doris Kretzschmar
    7. Jadwiga M. Giebultowicz
  • Daily blue-light exposure shortens lifespan and causes brain neurodegeneration in Drosophila

    npj Aging and Mechanisms of Disease
    1. Trevor R. Nash
    2. Eileen S. Chow
    3. Alexander D. Law
    4. Samuel D. Fu
    5. Elzbieta Fuszara
    6. Aleksandra Bilska
    7. Piotr Bebas
    8. Doris Kretzschmar
    9. Jadwiga M. Giebultowicz
  • Disease-Associated PNPLA6 Mutations Maintain Partial Functions When Analyzed in Drosophila

    Frontiers in Neuroscience
    1. Elizabeth R. Sunderhaus
    2. Alexander D. Law
    3. Doris Kretzschmar
  • ER responses play a key role in Swiss-Cheese/Neuropathy Target Esterase-associated neurodegeneration

    Neurobiology of Disease
    1. Elizabeth R. Sunderhaus
    2. Alexander D. Law
    3. Doris Kretzschmar
  • Drosophila Full-Length Amyloid Precursor Protein Is Required for Visual Working Memory and Prevents Age-Related Memory Impairment

    Current Biology
    1. Franziska Rieche
    2. Katia Carmine-Simmen
    3. Burkhard Poeck
    4. Doris Kretzschmar
    5. Roland Strauss
  • The PKA-C3 catalytic subunit is required in two pairs of interneurons for successful mating of Drosophila

    Scientific Reports
    1. Marlène Cassar
    2. Elizabeth Sunderhaus
    3. Jill S. Wentzell
    4. Sara Kuntz
    5. Roland Strauss
    6. Doris Kretzschmar
  • NTE/PNPLA6 is expressed in mature Schwann cells and is required for glial ensheathment of Remak fibers

    GLIA
    1. Janis McFerrin
    2. Bruce L. Patton
    3. Elizabeth R. Sunderhaus
    4. Doris Kretzschmar
  • Reduced expression of foxpl as a contributing factor in huntington’s disease

    Journal of Neuroscience
    1. Anto Sam Crosslee Louis Sam Titus
    2. Tanzeen Yusuff
    3. Marléne Cassar
    4. Elizabeth Thomas
    5. Doris Kretzschmar
    6. Santosh R. D’Mello
  • Amyloid precursor proteins are dynamically trafficked and processed during neuronal development

    Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience
    1. Jenna M. Ramaker
    2. Robert S. Cargill
    3. Tracy L. Swanson
    4. Hanil Quirindongo
    5. Marlène Cassar
    6. Doris Kretzschmar
    7. Philip F. Copenhaver
  • Glial expression of Swiss cheese (SWS), the Drosophila orthologue of neuropathy target esterase (NTE), is required for neuronal ensheathment and function

    DMM Disease Models and Mechanisms
    1. Sudeshna Dutta
    2. Franziska Rieche
    3. Nina Eckl
    4. Carsten Duch
    5. Doris Kretzschmar
  • Mass histology to quantify neurodegeneration in drosophila

    Journal of Visualized Experiments
    1. Elizabeth R. Sunderhaus
    2. Doris Kretzschmar
  • Manipulations of amyloid precursor protein cleavage disrupt the circadian clock in aging Drosophila

    Neurobiology of Disease
    1. Matthew R. Blake
    2. Scott D. Holbrook
    3. Joanna Kotwica-Rolinska
    4. Eileen S. Chow
    5. Doris Kretzschmar
    6. Jadwiga M. Giebultowicz
  • Mutations in PNPLA6 are linked to photoreceptor degeneration and various forms of childhood blindness

    Nature communications
    1. S. Kmoch
    2. J. Majewski
    3. V. Ramamurthy
    4. S. Cao
    5. S. Fahiminiya
    6. H. Ren
    7. I. M. Macdonald
    8. I. Lopez
    9. V. Sun
    10. V. Keser
    11. A. Khan
    12. V. Stránecký
    13. H. Hartmannová
    14. A. På Istoupilová
    15. K. HodaÅ ová
    16. L. Piherová
    17. L. KuchaÅ
    18. A. Baxová
    19. R. Chen
    20. O. G.P. Barsottini
    21. A. Pyle
    22. H. Griffin
    23. M. Splitt
    24. J. Sallum
    25. J. L. Tolmie
    26. J. R. Sampson
    27. P. Chinnery
    28. E. Banin
    29. D. Sharon
    30. S. Dutta
    31. R. Grebler
    32. C. Helfrich-Foerster
    33. J. L. Pedroso
    34. D. Kretzschmar
    35. M. Cayouette
    36. R. K. Koenekoop
    37. Kym Boycott
    38. Alex MacKenzie
    39. Michael Brudno
    40. Dennis Bulman
    41. David Dyment
  • Increased actin polymerization and stabilization interferes with neuronal function and survival in the AMPKγ mutant loechrig

    PloS one
    1. Mandy Cook
    2. Bonnie J. Bolkan
    3. Doris Kretzschmar
  • Loss-of-function mutations in PNPLA6 encoding neuropathy target esterase underlie pubertal failure and neurological deficits in Gordon Holmes syndrome

    Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
    1. A. Kemal Topaloglu
    2. Alejandro Lomniczi
    3. Doris Kretzschmar
    4. Gregory A. Dissen
    5. L. Damla Kotan
    6. Craig A. McArdle
    7. A. Filiz Koc
    8. Ben C. Hamel
    9. Metin Guclu
    10. Esra D. Papatya
    11. Erdal Eren
    12. Eda Mengen
    13. Fatih Gurbuz
    14. Mandy Cook
    15. Juan M. Castellano
    16. M. Burcu Kekil
    17. Neslihan O. Mungan
    18. Bilgin Yuksel
    19. Sergio R. Ojeda
  • Loss of tau results in defects in photoreceptor development and progressive neuronal degeneration in Drosophila

    Developmental Neurobiology
    1. Bonnie J. Bolkan
    2. Doris Kretzschmar