Biological Sciences

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Frank studied Biology in Germany at the Universities of Kiel and Heidelberg, graduating in 1989. He spent one year at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, studying gene transfer methods with Dr. Erwin Wagner (1988-1989), before starting his postgraduate studies at the Max-Planck-Institute of Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen (1989-1994). His Ph.D. project in the group of Prof. Peter Gruss concentrated on studying homeobox genes in evolution and embryonic development.

In collaboration with Katja Nieselt, then a postgraduate student in Prof. Manfred Eigen's group, he investigated the evolution of the Hox cluster in vertebrates and insects, and he isolated and characterised a novel vertebrate homeobox gene involved in the development of the nervous system.

Having obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Heidelberg, Frank joined the laboratory of Prof. Andrew Lumsden at King's College London to learn about chick development (1994-2003). His wide-ranging interests led to productive collaborations with Dr. Susanne Dietrich, King's College London, on somite development, and with Susan Chapman, now at Clemson University, on early chick development. The main focus of his studies was to analyse the expression and function of homeobox genes in the developing chick brain.

Appointed to a faculty position at the University of Portsmouth in 2003, Frank is mainly working on early vertebrate brain development, looking at the molecular control of axon tract formation and cell fate specification. He co-organised the 2010 Anatomical Society's Summer Meeting on axon-glia interactions in Portsmouth. Frank's research is supported by BBSRC, Royal Society, Nuffield Foundation, Anatomical Society and European Union (AdMiN).

Research interests

• Molecular control of early axon tract formation in the vertebrate brain
• Function of homeobox genes in cell fate specification
• Axon guidance mechanisms
• Regulation of gene expression in the early vertebrate brain
• Novel vector systems for gene expression in chick embryos

Recent Publications

More recent publications

Publications Before 2008

• Ahsan, M., Riley, K.-L. and Schubert, F. R. (2007). Molecular mechanisms in the formation of the medial longitudinal fascicle. J. Anat. 211, 177-187.
• Schubert, F. R. and Lumsden, A. (2005). Transcriptional control of early tract formation in the embryonic chick midbrain. Development 132, 1785-1793.
• Alvares, L. E., Schubert, F. R., Thorpe, C., Mootoosamy, R. C., Cheng, L., Parkyn, G., Lumsden, A. and Dietrich, S. (2003). Intrinsic, Hox-dependent cues determine the fate of skeletal muscle precursors. Dev. Cell 5, 379-390.
• Chapman, S. C., Schubert, F. R., Schoenwolf, G. C. and Lumsden, A. (2003). Anterior identity is established in chick epiblast by hypoblast and anterior definitive endoderm. Development 130, 5091-5101.
• Gogoi, R. N., Schubert, F. R., Martinez-Barbera, J. P., Acampora, D., Simeone, A. and Lumsden, A. (2002). The paired-type homeobox gene Dmbx1 marks the midbrain and pretectum. Mech. Dev. 114, 213-217.
• Schubert, F. R., Mootoosamy, R. C., Walters, E.H., Graham, A., Tumiotto, L., Münsterberg, A. E., Lumsden, A. and Dietrich, S. (2002). Wnt6 marks sites of epithelial transformations in the chick embryo. Mech. Dev. 114, 143-148.
• Chapman, S. C., Schubert, F. R., Schoenwolf, G. C. and Lumsden, A. (2002). Analysis of spatial and temporal gene expression patterns in blastula and gastrula stage chick embryos. Dev. Biol 245, 187-199.
• Martinez-Barbera, J. P., Signore, M., Boyl, P. P., Puelles, E., Acampora, D., Gogoi, R., Schubert, F., Lumsden, A. and Simeone, A. (2001). Regionalisation of anterior neuroectoderm and its competence in responding to forebrain and midbrain inducing activities depend on mutual antagonism between OTX2 and GBX2. Development 128, 4789-4800.
• Schubert, F. R., Tremblay, P., Mansouri, A., Faisst, A. M., Kammandel, B., Lumsden, A., Gruss, P. and Dietrich, S. (2001). Early mesodermal phenotypes in splotch suggest a role for Pax3 in the formation of epithelial somites. Dev. Dyn. 222, 506-521.
• Schubert, F. R., Dietrich, S., Mootoosamy, R. C., Chapman, S. C. and Lumsden, A. (2001). Lbx1 marks a subset of interneurons in chick hindbrain and spinal cord. Mech. Dev. 101, 181-185.
• Dietrich, S., Schubert, F. R., Gruss, P. and Lumsden, A. (1999). The role of the notochord for epaxial myotome formation in the mouse. Cell. Mol. Biol. 45, 601-616.
• Tremblay, P., Dietrich, S., Mericskay, M., Schubert, F. R., Li, Z. and Paulin, D. (1998). A crucial role for Pax3 in the development of the hypaxial musculature and the long-range migration of muscle precursors. Dev. Biol. 203, 49-61.
• Dietrich, S., Schubert, F. R., Healy, C., Sharpe, P. T. and Lumsden, A. (1998). Specification of the hypaxial musculature. Development 125, 2235-2249.
• Dietrich, S., Schubert, F. R. and Lumsden, A. (1997). Control of dorsoventral pattern in the chick paraxial mesoderm. Development 124, 3895-3908.
• Schubert, F. R., Fainsod, A., Gruenbaum, Y. and Gruss, P. (1995). Expression of the novel murine homeobox gene Sax-1 in the developing nervous system. Mech. Dev. 51, 99-114
• Yamada, G., Kioussi, C., Schubert, F. R., Eto, Y., Chowdhury, K., Pituello, F. and Gruss, P. (1994). Regulated expression of Brachyury(T), Nkx1.1 and Pax genes in embryoid bodies. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 199, 552-563.
• Dietrich, S., Schubert, F. R. and Gruss, P. (1993). Altered Pax gene expression in murine notochord mutants: the notochord is required to initiate and maintain ventral identity in the somite. Mech. Dev. 44, 189-207.
• Schubert, F. R., Nieselt-Struwe, K. and Gruss, P. (1993). The Antennapedia-type homeobox genes have evolved from three precursors separated early in metazoan evolution. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 90, 143-147.
• Rüther, U., Komitowski, D., Schubert, F. R. and Wagner, E.F. (1989). c-fos expression induces bone tumors in transgenic mice. Oncogene 4, 861-865.

Teaching interests

• Cell Biology
• Developmental Biology
• Neurobiology

Academic Societies and professional organisations

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Council member of the Anatomical Society of Great Britain & Ireland
• British Society of Developmental Biology
• The Genetics Society
• Associate Editor of BMC Neuroscience
• Review Editor of Frontiers in Neuronanatomy

Life away from the university

In his spare (?) time, Frank keeps himself busy as coach, team manager and occasional competitor with Kingston Athletic Club & Polytechnic Harriers. For his work with the club, Frank was presented with the Senior Volunteer of the Year Award by the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in 2009.