Overview

Structural regeneration and functional repair of the adult nervous system is highly inefficient. Traumatic brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases often result in devastating, irreversible outcomes, imposing a massive financial burden on society. Understanding how the brain responds to injury is therefore critical to developing new therapies that restore tissue structure and cognitive function.

Our lab uses zebrafish as an experimental model to investigate neural stem cell behavior and elucidate the signaling pathways that modulate their activity. We specifically focus on:

1. Developmental processes in the zebrafish brain and olfactory system.
2. Specificity and ontogenetic potential of adult-born nerve cells.
3. Identity and contribution of distinct neural stem cell populations in the adult nervous system.
4. Molecular signaling pathways that regulate maintenance and regenerative neurogenesis.

Work Experience

• Professor

  2024 – 2026

  Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bogazici University, Istanbul, Türkiye

• Associate Professor

  2017 - 2024

  Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bogazici University, Istanbul, Türkiye

• Assistant Professor

  2006 - 2017

  Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bogazici University, Istanbul, Türkiye

• Postdoctoral Fellow

  2002 – 2006

  Laboratory for Developmental Neurogenetics, The Rockefeller University, New York, USA

• Research Assistant

  1997 – 2002

  Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

Education

• PhD Degree in Genetics

  2002

  Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

• MSc in Biology (Dipl. Biologe)

  1997

  Johannes-Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany

• BSc in Biology

  1996

  Johannes-Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany

Articles

1. Andric N, Kelsh RN, Fa Nedeljkovic S, Pogrmic-Majkic K, Copmans D, Ny A, Nikolova L, Varga M, Kennedy B, Carl M, Formosa MM, Goracinova K, Zmorzynska J, Ciobica AS, Divac Rankov A, Žegura B, Sendra M, Novak M, Figueras A, García BN, Ribas L, Fuss SH, Fatkin D, Edepli KCS, Ceyhun HA, Tanguay RL, Abreu MS, Kalueff AV, Ceyhun SB. (2026). Global landscape of zebrafish research (2000-2025): A bibliometric analysis of publication trends, collaboration, and thematic evolution. Zebrafish, 2026, 23(2-3):77-87. doi: 10.1177/15458547261448804.
2. Sireci S, Kocagöz Y, Alkiraz AS, Güler K, Dokuzluoglu Z, Balcioglu E, Meydanli S, Demirler MC, Erdogan NS, Fuss SH (2024). HB-EGF promotes progenitor cell proliferation and sensory neuron regeneration in the zebrafish olfactory epithelium. FEBS Journal, 2024, 291(10):2098-2133. doi: 10.1111/febs.17033.
3. Kocagöz Y, Demirler MC, Eski SE, Güler K, Dokuzluoglu Z, Fuss SH (2022). Disparate progenitor cell populations contribute to maintenance and repair neurogenesis in the zebrafish olfactory epithelium. Cell and Tissue Research, 2022, 388(2):331-358. doi: 10.1007/s00441-022-03597-x.
4. Calvo-Ochoa E, Byrd-Jacobs CA, Fuss SH (2021). Diving into the streams and waves of constitutive and regenerative olfactory neurogenesis: insights from zebrafish. Cell and Tissue Research, 2021, 383(1):227-253. doi: 10.1007/s00441-020-03334-2.
5. Demirler MC, Sakizli U, Bali B, Kocagöz Y, Eski SE, Ergönen A, Alkiraz AS, Bayramli X, Hassenklöver T, Manzini I, Fuss SH (2020). Purinergic signalling selectively modulates maintenance but not repair neurogenesis in the zebrafish olfactory epithelium. FEBS Journal, 287(13):2699-2722. doi: 10.1111/febs.15170.
6. Bayramli X, Kocagöz Y, Sakizli U, Fuss SH (2017). Patterned arrangements of olfactory receptor gene expression in zebrafish are established by radial movement of specified olfactory sensory neurons. Scientific Reports, 7:5572. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-06041-1.
7. Fuss SH, Zhu Y, Mombaerts P (2013). Odorant receptor gene choice and axonal wiring in mice with deletion mutations in the odorant receptor gene SR1. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, 56:212-224. doi: 10.1016/j.mcn.2013.05.002.
8. Kuser-Abali G, Ozcan F, Ugurlu A, Uysal A, Fuss SH, Bugra-Bilge K (2013). SIK2 is involved in the negative modulation of insulin-dependent Muller cell survival and implicated in hyperglycemia induced cell death. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 54(5):3526-37. doi: 10.1167/iovs.12-10729.
9. Bayramli X and Fuss SH (2012). Born to run: patterning the Drosophila olfactory system. Developmental Cell, 22:240-241. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2012.01.023.
10. Genc S, Zadeoglulari Z, Fuss SH, Genc K (2012). The adverse effects of air pollution on the nervous system. Journal of Toxicology, 2012:782462. doi: 10.1155/2012/782462.
11. Fuss SH, Ray A (2009). Mechanisms of odorant receptor gene choice in Drosophila and vertebrates. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, 41:101-112. doi: 10.1016/j.mcn.2009.02.014.
12. Fuss S, Celik A, Desplan C (2007). Olfactory identity kicked up a NOTCH. Nature Neuroscience, 10:138-140. doi: 10.1038/nn0207-138.
13. Grosmaitre X, Fuss SH, Lee AC, Adipietro KA, Matsunami H, Mombaerts P, Ma M (2009). SR1, a mouse odorant receptor with an unusually broad response profile. Journal of Neuroscience, 29: 14545-14552. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2752-09.2009.
14. Bozza T, Vassalli A, Fuss S, Zhang JJ, Weiland B, Pacifico R, Feinstein, P, Mombaerts P (2009). Mapping of class I and class II odorant receptors to glomerular domains by two distinct types of olfactory sensory neurons in the mouse. Neuron, 61(2):220-233. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2008.11.010.
15. Fuss SH, Omura M, Mombaerts P (2007). Local and cis effects of the H element on expression of odorant receptor genes in mouse. Cell, 130:373-384. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2007.06.023.
16. Fuss SH, Omura M, Mombaerts P (2005). The Grueneberg ganglion of the mouse projects axons to glomeruli in the olfactory bulb. European Journal of Neuroscience, 22:2649-2654. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2005.04468.x.
17. Çelik A, Fuss SH, Korsching SI (2002). Selective targeting of zebrafish olfactory receptor neurons by the endogenous OMP promoter. European Journal of Neuroscience, 15:798-806. doi: 10.1046/j.1460-9568.2002.01913.x.
18. Fried HU, Fuss SH, Korsching SI (2002). Selective imaging of presynaptic activity in the mouse olfactory bulb shows concentration and structure dependence of odor responses in identified glomeruli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 99:3222-3227. doi: 10.1073/pnas.052658399.
19. Fuss SH, Korsching SI (2001). Odorant feature detection: activity mapping of structure response relationships in the zebrafish olfactory bulb. Journal of Neuroscience, 21:8396-8407. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.21-21-08396.2001.

Positions

No positions available

Contact

• stefan.fuss@ou.bau.edu.tr