Areas of Interest
- Regulation of neurotransmitter release by Ca2+ and
Ca2+-sensitive proteins
- Function and regulation of gap junctions
My lab uses the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans)
as a model organism to study molecular mechanisms of
neurotransmitter release, and the function and regulation of gap
junctions. C. elegans is a very powerful model system for
studying fundamental biological problems, which is highlighted
by the award of two recent Noble prizes (Physiology or Medicine,
2002 and 2006) to scientists studying C. elegans.
Ca2+ plays key roles in neurotransmitter release. It triggers
the release by directly binding to Ca2+ sensor(s) at the
presynaptic site, and regulates the release by modulating the
activities of several presynaptic proteins. We study the
functions of presynaptic voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, ryanodine
receptor (a Ca2+-releasing channel in the endoplasmic reticulum
membrane), BK channel (a large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+
channel), and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII)
in neurotransmitter release, and try to determine whether and
how these proteins interact at the presynaptic site. These
research programs have the potential to significantly advance
our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of synaptic
transmission.
Gap junctions are intercellular channels that are almost
ubiquitously expressed. However, their biological functions and
regulations are still poorly understood. My lab was the first
(so far the only one) to adapt the dual whole-cell voltage clamp
technique to the analysis of electrical coupling in C. elegans.
We use a combination of electrophysiological, genetic, and cell
biological techniques to identify and characterize conserved
mechanisms of gap junction assembly and regulation.
Lab Rotation Projects
Lab rotation projects are described on Dr. Wang’s lab webpage:
http://zwwang.uchc.edu
Selected Publications
Altun ZF, Chen B, Wang ZW, Hall DH (2009) A High Resolution Map
of C. elegans Gap Junction Proteins. Dev Dyn (in press).
Wang, Z. W. (2008). Molecular Mechanisms of Neurotransmitter
Release. Totowa, Humana Press. To order this book, visit
Amazon.com.
Wang ZW, Chen B, Ge Q (2008) Roles and sources of calcium in
synaptic exocytosis. In: Molecular Mechanisms of
Neurotransmitter Release (Wang ZW, ed), pp 61-84. Totowa: Humana
Press.
Wang ZW (2008) Regulation of synaptic transmission by
presynaptic CaMKII and BK channels. Mol Neurobiol 38:153-166.
Liu Q, Chen B, Ge Q, Wang ZW (2007) Presynaptic Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent
protein kinase II modulates neurotransmitter release by
activating BK channels at Caenorhabditis elegans neuromuscular
junction. J Neurosci 27:10404-10413.
Chen B, Liu Q, Ge Q, Xie J, Wang ZW (2007) UNC-1 Regulates
Gap Junctions Important to Locomotion in C. elegans. Curr Biol
17:1334-1339.
See comments: Norman KR, Maricq AV (2007) Innexin function:
minding the gap junction. Curr Biol 17:R812-814.
Liu Q, Chen B, Hall DH, Wang ZW (2007) A quantum of
transmitter causes minis in multiple postsynaptic cells at the
C. elegans NMJ. Develop Neurobiol (J Neurobiol) 67:123-128.
Liu Q, Chen B, Gaier E, Joshi J, Wang ZW (2006) Low
conductance gap junctions mediate specific electrical coupling
in body-wall muscle cells of Caenorhabditis elegans. J Biol Chem
281:7881-7889.
Mahoney TR, Liu Q, Itoh T, Luo S, Hadwiger G, Vincent R, Wang
ZW, Fukuda M, Nonet ML (2006) Regulation of Synaptic
Transmission by RAB-3 and RAB-27 in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mol
Biol Cell 17:2617-2625.
Liu Q, Chen B, Yankova M, Morest DK, Maryon E, Hand AR, Nonet
ML, Wang ZW (2005) Presynaptic ryanodine receptors are required
for normal quantal size at the Caenorhabditis elegans
neuromuscular junction. J Neurosci 25:6745-6754.
Deken SL, Vincent R, Hadwiger G, Liu Q, Wang ZW, Nonet ML
(2005) Redundant localization mechanisms of RIM and ELKS in
Caenorhabditis elegans. J Neurosci 25:5975-5983.
Santi CM, Yuan A, Fawcett G, Wang ZW, Butler A, Nonet ML, Wei
A, Rojas P, Salkoff L (2003) Dissection of K+ currents in
Caenorhabditis elegans muscle cells by genetics and RNA
interference. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 100:14391-14396.
Yuan A, Santi CM, Wei A, Wang ZW, Pollak K, Nonet M,
Kaczmarek L, Crowder CM, Salkoff L (2003) The sodium-activated
potassium channel is encoded by a member of the Slo gene family.
Neuron 37:765-773.
Wang ZW, Saifee O, Nonet ML, Salkoff L (2001) SLO-1 potassium
channels control quantal content of neurotransmitter release at
the C. elegans neuromuscular junction. Neuron 32:867-881.
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