Research OverviewExcitotoxicity Excitotoxicity is the pathological process by which nerve cells are damaged and killed by glutamate and similar substances. This occurs when receptors for the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate-- such as the NMDA receptor and AMPA receptor----are overactivated. Oxidative Stress Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen and a biological system's ability to readily detoxify the reactive intermediates or easily repair the resulting damage. All forms of life maintain a reducing environment within... Complete Information... | Research DescriptionResearch Specialties: Excitotoxicty, Oxidative Stress Excitotoxicity and oxidative stress have been implicated in a number of neurodegenerative disorders. However, how they cause neuronal death remains to be identified. My research is focused on investigating the mechanisms underlying excitotoxicity and oxidative stress as well as methods to protect neurons against these deleterious factors. My current research interests focus on two related topics. 1. Role of ubiquilin in neuronal cell survivalUbiquilin is a presenilin-interacting protein and belongs to a type-2 ubiquitin-like protein family. Previous studies have shown that ubiquilin is strongly associated with neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease (AD)-affected brains and can regulate the accumulation of presenilins (Mah et al. 2000). Recent data indicate that variants in ubiquilin gene increase the risk of the late-onset AD (Bertram et al. 2005). Based on these and other observations we hypothesize... Complete Information... |
Representative PublicationsWang, H., Yu, S. W., Koh, D. W., Lew, J., Coombs, C., Bowers, W., Federoff, H. J., Poirier, G. G., Dawson, T. M.and Dawson, V. L. (2004). Apoptosis-inducing factor substitutes for caspase executioners in NMDA-triggered excitotoxic neuronal death. J. Neurosci. 24(48):10963-73. Yu, S. W., Wang, H., Dawson, T. M. and Dawson, V. L. (2003). Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 and apoptosis inducing factor in neurotoxicity. Neurobiol Dis. 14(3):303-17.
Sheline, C. T., Wang, H Cai, A-L., Dawson, V. L. and Choi, D. W. (2003). Involvement of poly-ADP ribosyl polymerase-1 in fast but not slow zinc neurotoxicity. Eur J. Neurosci. 18(6):1402-9. Complete Listing...
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