Associate Professor Office: 3019 CCRC Contact Phone Number: 542-2740 Lab: 3019 CCRC Lab Phone: 542-2740 E-mail: mtiemeyer@ccrc.uga.edu Additional Information / Lab Page

Brief Biography

Dr. Tiemeyer received his B.A. in biology in 1982 and his Ph.D. in neuroscience in 1989 from The Johns Hopkins University. He was a Helen Hay Whitney postdoctoral fellow in developmental neurobiology at the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to joining the CCRC faculty, Dr. Tiemeyer was a faculty member in cell biology at Yale University School of Medicine and Director of Biochemical and Clinical Analytics and New Methods Development at Glyko/Biomarin, Inc.

Research Interests

The surfaces of all eukaryotic cells are richly endowed with a diverse array of complex glycoconjugates. Therefore, carbohydrate moieties linked to protein, lipid, and glycosaminoglycan form the interfaces at which cell-cell interactions occur. Consistent with their subcellular location and structural diversity, specific oligosaccharides function as cell-surface tags that allow cells to appropriately interact with each other and with their local environment. In fact, cell surface carbohydrates are among the most discriminating markers for cellular differentiation and pathogenesis. We utilize genetic, molecular, and chemical techniques in vertebrate (mouse) and insect (Drosophila) model systems to study two aspects of carbohydrate expression. First, we investigate the influence of cell surface carbohydrates on development of the nervous system. We identified and characterized a novel carbohydrate binding protein (Gliolectin) that mediates the fidelity of axon pathfinding early in neural development. Second, we study mechanisms that control tissue- and stage-specific oligosaccharide expression. We discovered that a member of the Toll-like receptor family (Tollo) influences tissue-specific glycosylation through cell-cell communication. Our results have implications for facilitating regeneration of axon pathways in the nervous system, for understanding innate immunity and tissue surveillance, and for controlling the cellular changes that precede tumor metastasis.

Selected Recent Publications

Müller, R., A.J. Hülsmeier, R. Altmann, K. Ten-Hagen, M. Tiemeyer, and T. Hennet. 2005. Characterization of mucin-type core-1 beta1-3 galactosyltransferase homologous enzymes in Drosophila melanogaster. FEBS J. 272: 4295-4305.

Seppo, A.S., P.M. Matani, M. Sharrow, and M. Tiemeyer. 2003. Induction of neuron-specific glycosylation by Tollo/Toll-8, a Drosophila Toll-like receptor expressed in non-neural cells. Development 130: 1439-1448.

Matthews, R.T., G.M. Kelly, C.A. Zerillo, M. Tiemeyer, and S. Hockfield. 2002. Aggrecan glycoforms contribute to the molecular heterogeneity of perineuronal nets. J. Neurosci. 22: 7536-7547.

Sharrow, M. and M. Tiemeyer. 2001. Gliolectin-mediated carbohydrate binding at the Drosophila midline ensures the fiedlity of axon pathfinding. Development 128: 4585-4595.

Colmenares, M., M. Tiemeyer, P. Kima, and D. McMahon-Pratt. 2001. Biochemical and biological characterization of the protective Leishmania pifanoi amastigote antigen, P8. Infect. and Immun. 69: 6776-6784.

Stern, C.A. and M. Tiemeyer. 2001. A ganglioside-specific sialyltransferase localizes to axons and non-Golgi structures in neurons. J. Neurosci. 21: 1434-1443.

Seppo, A. and M. Tiemeyer. 2000. Function and strucutre of Drosophila glycans. Glycobiology 10: 751-760.

Seppo, A., M. Moreland, H. Schweingruber, and M. Tiemeyer. 2000. Zwitterionic and acidic glycolipids of the Drosophila melanogaster embryo. Eur. J. Biochem. 267: 3549-3558.

Stern, C.A., T.R. Braverman, and M. Tiemeyer. 2000. Molecular identification, tissue distribution and subcellular localization of mST3GalV/gM3 synthase. Glycobiology 10: 365-374.

Tiemeyer, M. 1999. How sweet the fly? ISN News 2: 64-67.

Seppo, A. and M. Tiemeyer. 1998. Protein glycosylation. In: Cells: A Laboratory Manual (D.L. Spector and R. Goldman, eds.). Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, New York.

Tiemeyer, M. and C.S. Goodman. 1996. Gliolectin is a novel carbohydrate binding protein expressed by a subset of glia in the embryonic Drosophila nervous system. Development 122: 925-936.

Schnaar, R.L., J.A. Mahoney, P. Swank-Hill, M. Tiemeyer, and L.K. Needham. 1994. Receptors for gangliosides and related glycosphingolipids on central and peripheral nervous system cell membranes. Prog. Brain Res. 101: 185-197.

Tiemeyer, M., B.K. Brandley, M. Ishihara, S.J. Swiedler, J. Greene, G.W. Hoyle, and R.L. Hill. 1992. The binding specificity of normal and variant rate Kupffer cell (lectin) receptors expressed in COS cells. J. Biol. Chem. 267: 12252-12257.

Srnka, C.A., M. Tiemeyer, J.H. Gilbert, M. Moreland, H. Schweingruber, B.W. De Lappe, P.G. James, T. Gant, R.E. Willoughby, R.H. Yolken, M.A. Nashed, S.A. Abbas, and R.A. Laine. 1992. Cell surface ligands for rotavirus: Mouse intestinal glycolipids and synthetic carbohydrate analogs. Virology 190: 794-805.

Tiemeyer, M., Swiedler, S.J., M. Ishihara, M. Moreland, H. Schweingruber, P. Hirtzer, and B.K. Brandley. 1991. Carbohydrate ligands for endothelial-leukocyte adhesion molecule-1. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88: 1138-1142.

Tiemeyer, M., P. Swank-Hill, and R.L. Schnaar. 1990. A membrane receptor for gangliosides is associated with central nervous system myelin. J. Biol. Chem. 265: 11990-11999.

Tiemeyer, M. and R.L. Schnaar. 1990. Receptors for gangliosides on rat brain membranes: specificity, regional and subcellular distribution. In: Trophic Factors in the Nervous System (L.A. Horrocks et al., eds.), pp. 119-133. Raven Press, Ltd., New York.

Tiemeyer, M., Y. Yasuda, and R.L. Schnaar. 1989. Ganglioside specific binding protein on rat brain membranes. J. Biol. Chem. 264: 1671-1681.

Yasuda, Y., M. Tiemeyer, C.C. Blackburn, and R.L. Schnaar. 1987. Neuronal recognition of gangliosides: Evidence for a brain ganglioside receptor. In: New Trends in Ganglioside Research: Neurochemical and Neutroregenerative Aspects (R. Ledeen, G. Tettamanti, R. Yu, E. Hogan, and A. Yates, eds.), pp. 229-243. Liviana Press, Padova and Springer Verlag, New York.

Singer, H.S., M. Tiemeyer, P. Slesinger, and m. Sinnott. 1987. Inactivation of GM1 ganglioside b-galactosidase by a specific inhibitor: A model for ganglioside storage disease. Ann. Neurol. 21: 497-503.

Singer, H.S. and M. Tiemeyer. 1985. The establishment of in vitro systems to evaluate neuronal toxicity. In: In vitro Toxicology (A.M. Goldberg, ed.), pp. 269-292. Mary Ann Liebert, New York.

Tiemeyer, M., H.S. Singer, J.C. Troncoso, L.C. Cork, J.T. Coyle, and D.L. Price. 1984. Synaptic neurochemical alterations associated with neuronal degeneration in an inherited cerebellar ataxia of Gordon Setters. J. Neuropath. and Exp. Nerol. 43: 580-591.

Singer, H.S., M. Tiemeyer, J.C. Hedreen, J. Gearhart, and J.T. Coyle. 1984. Morphologic and neurochemical studies of embryonic brain development in murine trisomy 16. Dev. Brain Res. 15: 155-166.

Singer, H.S., D. Weaver, M. Tiemeyer, and J.T. Coyle. 1983. Synaptic chemistry associated with aberrant neuronal development in the reeler mouse. J. Neurochem. 41: 874-881.