My path to research in neuropharmacology has been a coalescing of my training as a molecular biologist and my intense interest in an esoteric group of animals, the fish-hunting cone snails. Attempting to bridge these two disparate worlds has led me to an idiosyncratic career as a pharmacologist.
Published in Channels (Austin, Tex.)
Acid-sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) belongs to the epithelial sodium channel/degenerin (ENaC/DEG) superfamily. It consists of one of 7 different ASIC subunits encoded by 5 different genes. Most ASIC subunits form trimeric ion channels that upon activation by extracellular protons mediate a transient inward current inducing cellular excitability. ASI...
Published in Expert opinion on drug discovery
Published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Neurological disorders including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, autism and epilepsy are associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular disorders and susceptibility to heart failure. The underlying molecular mechanisms that link neurological disorders and adverse cardiac function are poorly under...
Published in International journal of molecular sciences
Ion channels are membrane-spanning integral proteins expressed in multiple organs, including the eye. Here, ion channels play a role in several physiological processes, like signal transmission and visual processing. A wide range of mutations have been reported in the corresponding genes and their interacting subunit coding genes, which contribute ...
Published in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience
Brain pericytes reside on the abluminal surface of capillaries, and their processes cover ~90% of the length of the capillary bed. These cells were first described almost 150 years ago (Eberth, 1871 ; Rouget, 1873 ) and have been the subject of intense experimental scrutiny in recent years, but their physiological roles remain uncertain and little ...
Published in Frontiers in Physiology
Background Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels, especially Kv7 channels, are major potassium channels identified in vascular smooth muscle cells with a great, albeit differential functional impact in various vessels. Vascular smooth muscle Kv7 channels always coexist with other K channels, in particular with BK channels. BK channels differ in the...
Published in Trends in microbiology
Potassium (K+) channels are highly conserved proteins found in all domains of life, that allow for selective movement of K+ ions across membranes. Despite their broad distribution, the physiological roles of individual members of this diverse channel family have only been thoroughly explored in eukaryotic systems, where they have critical functions...
Published in Cells
The transient receptor potential melastatin (TRPM) subfamily belongs to the TRP cation channels family. Since the first cloning of TRPM1 in 1989, tremendous progress has been made in identifying novel members of the TRPM subfamily and their functions. The TRPM subfamily is composed of eight members consisting of four six-transmembrane domain subuni...
Published in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience
Sensory perception is fundamental to everyday life, yet understanding of human sensory physiology at the molecular level is hindered due to constraints on tissue availability. Emerging strategies to study and characterize peripheral neuropathies in vitro involve the use of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) differentiated into dorsal root ganglio...
