• Department of Pathology
  • Pathology Staff
• Department of Laboratory Medicine
  • Laboratory Medicine Staff
• Affiliated Hospitals
  • Moffitt-Long
  • Mount Zion Medical Center
  • San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center
  • San Francisco General
• Faculty
  • Pathology
  • Laboratory Medicine

Research and Clinical Interests

My laboratory is interested in molecular pathways that determine neuronal susceptibility to cell death. Within this broad framework, our primary focus is on the molecular pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD), which involves both genetic and environmental factors that lead to mitochondrial dysfunction, protein aggregation, proteasome inhibition, and oxidative stress. However, it is still not understood why dopaminergic neurons – which degenerate in PD – are selectively vulnerable to these systemic processes. To approach this problem, we are currently using a number of in vitro techniques to answer two specific questions:

1. What is the role of cellular antioxidant defenses in PD pathogenesis?
2. How do differences in membrane excitability affect the susceptibility of different populations of dopaminergic neurons to cell death?

Selected Publications

• Keet, C.A., Fox, C.K., Margeta, M., Marco, E., Shane, A.L., DeArmond, S.J., Strober, J.B., and Miller, S.P.: Infant botulism, type F, presenting at 54 hours of life. Pediatr Neurol, 32:193-196 (2005)
• Margeta-Mitrovic, M.: Assembly-dependent trafficking assays in the detection of receptor-receptor interactions. Methods 27:311-317 (2002)
• Margeta-Mitrovic, M., Jan, Y. N. and Jan, L. Y.: Ligand-induced signal transduction within heterodimeric GABA_B receptor. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98:14643-14648 (2001)
• Margeta-Mitrovic, M., Jan, Y. N. and Jan, L. Y.: Function of GB1 and GB2 subunits in G protein coupling of GABA_B receptors. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98:14649-14654 (2001)
• Margeta-Mitrovic, M., Jan, Y. N. and Jan, L. Y.: A trafficking checkpoint controls GABA_B receptor heterodimerization. Neuron 27:97-106 (2000)

Selected Awards

• 2007- NIH Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award
• 1997-2000 NIH Institutional Research Service Award
• 1996 Klaus R. Unna Award, for outstanding research accomplishments as a graduate student
• 1996 AFAR/Glenn Foundation Scholarship for Research in the Biology of Aging
• 1993-1994 University of Illinois Graduate College Fellowship
• 1990 University of Zagreb Chancellor’s Award, for outstanding academic performance as a medical student

• Assistant Professor
• Pathology
• Neuropathology

Specialty Area

Neuroscience Research; Neuromuscular Pathology and Autopsy Neuropathology

Contact Information

• Marta.Margeta@ucsf.edu
• Phone: 415-514-0228
• Fax: 415-514-3165

• UCSF Department of Pathology
• 513 Parnassus Avenue
• Room HSW-708, Box 0511
• San Francisco CA 94143-0511

Web Site

• http://www.ucsf.edu/bms/faculty/margeta.html

Other UCSF Organizational Association(s)

• Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program

Hospital Affiliation(s)

• Moffitt-Long