Brittany Carr

 

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My lab is interested in the disease processes underlying inherited and age-related blindness. We use genetic modification in a unique small animal – Xenopus laevis (African clawed frog) – to create models of human retinal disease. We then characterize these models using imaging, molecular biology, and biochemistry approaches with the goal of understanding the underlying disease mechanisms and identifying potential therapeutic targets for novel treatments.

Primary Lab Methods
Imaging: confocal fluorescence microscopy, transmission electron microscopy
Live Animal Imaging: optical coherence tomography, color fundus photography
Cell & Molecular Biology: PCR, Western blot, gel electrophoresis, cloning
Genetic Modification: CRISPR/Cas9 (NHEJ), Transgenesis

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Selected Publications

1. Carr BJ, Skitsko D, Kriese LM, Song J, Li Z, Ju MJ, Moritz OL. prominin-1-null Xenopus laevis develop subretinal drusenoid-like deposits, cone-rod dystrophy and RPE atrophy. J Cell Sci. 2024 Nov 1;137(21):jcs262298. doi: 10.1242/jcs.262298.
2. Carr BJ, Stanar P, Moritz OL. (2021). Distinct roles for prominin-1 and photoreceptor cadherin in outer segment disc morphogenesis in CRISPR-altered X. laevis. J Cell Science. DOI: 10.1242/jcs.253906
3. Carr BJ, Yang LL, Moritz OL. (2019). Prominin-1 and photoreceptor cadherin localization in Xenopus laevis: Protein-protein relationships and function. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1185: 483-487. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-27378-1_79
4. Carr BJ, Mihara K, Ramachandran R, Saifeddine M, Nathanson NM, Stell WK, Hollenberg MD. (2018). Myopia-Inhibiting Concentrations of Muscarinic Receptor Antagonists Block Activation of Alpha2A-Adrenoceptors in Vitro. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1;59(7):2778-2791. DOI: 10.1167/iovs.17-22562
5. Carr BJ & Stell WK. (2017). The Science Behind Myopia. Webvision: The Organization of the Retina and Visual System (Online textbook).

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Laboratory Members