Jill A. Morris, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Program in Human Molecular Genetics
Department of Pediatrics
To contact Dr. Morris:
Children's Memorial Research Center
2300 Children's Plaza, Box 211
Chicago, IL 60614-3394
Ph: 773-755-6351
Fax: 773-755-6345
e-mail:j-morris4@northwestern.edu
Dr. Morris's website
Research Interests:
Some mental disorders such as bipolar affective disorder and schizophrenia
have clear genetic contributions. Both are polygenic disorders and they have
genetic heterogeneity; that is, the susceptibility genes for these diseases
may differ among populations. These factors along with inconsistent/inaccurate
diagnosis have made the identification of susceptibility genes difficult.
However, with the completion of the human genome project, innovations in genomic
technologies and recent discoveries by investigators in psychiatric genetics,
clear advances are being made in candidate gene identification. The research
interests of Dr. Jill Morris’ laboratory have centered on candidate
gene discovery and characterization with the goal being to determine what
role these genes and the proteins they encode play in the pathogenesis of
mental disorders.
Dr. Morris is currently directing the research on characterizing candidate
genes involved in schizophrenia. One candidate gene that her research is currently
focused on is Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1). Mutations in DISC1 have
been shown to segregate with schizophrenia, schizoaffective, depression and
bipolar disorder. Her group has been investigating the expression and potential
function of DISC1. They have demonstrated that DISC1 interacts with several
centrosome and microtubule associated proteins involved in intracellular transport,
neurite outgrowth and migration. In neuronal cell lines, the mutated DISC1
causes phenotypic changes, including decreased neurite outgrowth and changes
in the intracellular distribution of DISC1. In order to further examine the
mechanistic hypotheses of DISC1, the Morris laboratory proposes to investigate
the role of DISC1 in neurite outgrowth and migration through the generation
of animal models (zebrafish and mouse). These animals will be useful to study
not only schizophrenia, but also additional psychiatric disorders, such as,
bipolar and depression. As a result, the knowledge gained from this research
will be valuable for understanding the molecular basis underlying psychiatric
disorders and for identifying new treatments for affected individuals.