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Faculty
Zhao-Wen Wang
Assistant Professor Neuroscience
zwwang@uchc.edu
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:
We have several potential lab rotation projects, which are not
described at this publicly accessible website. Interested students
should contact me for a description about them.
Selected Publications:
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.
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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