John Bradley Zuchero

J. Bradley Zuchero is an American neuroscientist and associate Professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University. His research focuses on the cellular mechanisms of myelin formation by oligodendrocytes, including the role of actin cytoskeleton remodeling during myelin wrapping in the central nervous system. His laboratory has also investigated how neuronal activity and signaling influence accurate myelin morphology.

Career

Zuchero joined the faculty at Stanford University, where he leads the Zuchero Lab in the Department Of Neurosurgery. He previously conducted postdoctoral research supported by a Life Sciences Research Foundation fellowship.

Research

Zuchero and colleagues reported that actin disassembly- rather than assembly - drives the membrane wrapping that forms CNS myelin, demonstrating that myelin wrapping proceeds as an actin-independent form of cell motility. Subsequent work from his group and collaborators has examined how vesicle trafficking and calcium-dependent signaling regulate oligodendrocyte morphology and proper sheath formation.

Awards and honors

  • Beckman Young Investigator (2019).
  • McKnight Scholar Award (2018).
  • National Multiple Sclerosis Society Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholar Award (2018).

Selected publications

  • Zuchero, J. B.; Fu, M.-M.; et al. (2015). "CNS myelin wrapping is driven by actin disassembly". Developmental Cell. 34 (2): 152–167. doi:10.1016/j.devcel.2015.06.011. PMID 26166300. PMCID 4519368.
  • Samanta, J.; Salzer, J. L. (2015). "Myelination: Actin Disassembly Leads the Way". Developmental Cell. 34 (2): 129–130. doi:10.1016/j.devcel.2015.07.006. PMCID 4970517. (Research highlight discussing Zuchero et al. 2015).
  • Zhou, W.; et al.; Zuchero, J. B. (2024). "Oligodendrocyte calcium signaling promotes actin-dependent myelin remodeling". Nature Communications. 15 (1). doi:10.1038/s41467-023-44238-3. PMID 38177161.