Overview

Dr. Citron studies modulation of gene regulation relating to the health of neurons in the
central nervous system after TBI, Gulf War Illnesses, and other neurodegenerative
disorders. His interest in molecular biology was inspired in Biology and Chemistry at
Colgate University, with internships under Dr. Donald Court, Biochemical Genetics
Section, NCI, NIH and authorship at the 1976 Cold Spring Harbor Bacteriophage
Meeting. For his Ph.D. in Genetics at Iowa under Dr. John Donelson he studied yeast
gene transcription (first to express a functional eukaryotic carbon source metabolism
gene in bacteria) and as a postdoc he investigated liver specific genes under Dr.
James Darnell at Rockefeller. During eight years at the National Institute of Mental
Health in Dr. Seymour Kaufman?s Lab. of Neurochemistry exploring aromatic amino
acid hydroxylases and related genes important to neurotransmitters he founded the
Colgate NIH Off Campus Study Group which still places about 15 undergraduates in
NIH labs each Fall. Finally, Dr. Citron joined R&D of the Department of Veterans Affairs
in Kansas City (10 years), Bay Pines Florida (14 years), and since 2017 at the VA New
Jersey. Dr. Citron is married to a Microbiologist and has two children (one a director of
experience design in NYC, and one pursuing planetary sciences). When not at the lab
he enjoys flying a Cirrus SR22 aircraft in the clouds. In between, Dr. Citron serves on
editorial boards.

Education

PHD, 1982, University of Iowa, IA, Genetics

Curriculum Vitae

View CV

Relevant Publications

Murray, K. E., Delic, V., Ratliff, W. A., Beck, K. D., and Citron, B. A., Acute gene expression changes in the mouse hippocampus following a combined Gulf War toxicant exposure. Life Sci. 284: doi: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119845 (2021).

Ratliff, W. A., Saykally, J. N., Keeley, K. L., Driscoll, D. C., Murray, K. E., Okuka, M., Mervis, R. F., Delic, V., and Citron, B. A., Sidestream smoke affects dendritic complexity and astrocytes after model mild closed head traumatic brain injury. Cell Mol. Neurobiol. doi: 10.1007/s10571-020-01036-5 (2021).

Festoff, B.W. and Citron, B.A. Thrombin and the Coag-Inflammatory Nexus in Neurotrauma, ALS and other Neurodegenerative Disorders. Frontiers in Neurology 10(59):1-20 (2019).

Saykally, J. N., Ratliff, W. A., Keeley, K. L., Pick, C. G., Mervis, R. F., and Citron, B. A., Repetitive mild closed head injury alters protein expression and dendritic complexity in a mouse model. J. Neurotrauma 35:139-48 (2018).

Ratliff, W.A., Saykally, J. N., Kane, M. J., and Citron, B. A., Neuromuscular junction morphology & gene dysregulation in the wobbler model of spinal neurodegeneration. J. Mol. Neurosci. 66:114-20 (2018).

Saykally, J. N., Hatic, H., Keeley, K. L., Jain, S. C., Ravindranath, V. R., and Citron, B. A., Withania somnifera extract protects model neurons from in vitro traumatic injury. Cell Transplant. 26:1193-201 (2017).

Saykally, J.N., Rachmany, L., Hatic, H., Shaer, A., Rubovitch, V., Pick, C.G., and Citron, B.A. The Nrf2 Activator, tert-Butylhydroquinone (tBHQ), Improves Cognitive Performance in Mice after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Neuroscience 223:305-14 (2012).

Dennis, J. S. and Citron, B. A., Wobbler mice modeling motor neuron disease display elevated Transactive Response DNA binding protein. Neuroscience 158:745-50 (2009).

Citron, B. A., SantaCruz, K., Davies, P. J. A., and Festoff, B. W., Intron-exon swapping of transglutaminase mRNA and neuronal tau aggregation in Alzheimer's disease. J. Biol. Chem. 276:3295-301 (2001).

Citron, B. A., Kaufman, S., Milstien, S., Naylor, E. W., Greene, C. L., and Davis, M., Mutation in the 4a-carbinolamine dehydratase gene leads to mild hyperphenylalaninemia with defective cofactor metabolism. Amer. J. Hum. Genet. 53:768-74 (1993).

Areas Of Interest

ALS

Alzheimer?s Disease

Central Nervous System

Gulf War Illnesses

Neurodegeneration

Neuroprotection

Transcription Factors

Traumatic Brain Injury

Director, Laboratory of Molecular Biology

With in vitro and in vivo model systems the laboratory has been determining key
mechanisms responsible for CNS neurodegeneration. For example, in the wobbler
mouse, sharing many aspects of ALS including motor neuron loss, development of
paralysis, etc., it was determined that TDP-43 pathology was identical to that found in
human ALS spinal cords in terms of cytoplasmic localization, aggregate formation,
and production of TDP-43 C terminal fragments. This was unlike the SOD1 ALS
model mice. Areas of current breakthroughs include Alzheimer's disease, important to
the aging Veteran and general population, and traumatic brain injury which is
becoming increasingly understood in terms of injury exposures in sports and is
unfortunately the signature affliction of recently deployed military forces. In this arena
for example, discoveries have included the identification of specific transcription
factor pathways that are dysregulated by injury and amenable to treatments
developed that result in reduced activation of caspase-3, improved neuroprotective
gene expression in the brain, and improved post-injury cognitive performance.
Ongoing investigations include dendritic arbors and spines in the hippocampus and
other brain regions and altered mRNA levels throughout the transcriptome testing the
effects of a variety of insults and treatments.