Synaptic Function Section - Division of Intramural Research

 Zu-Hang   Sheng  Ph.D., Senior Investigator

Dr. Sheng received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania where he worked with Roland Kallen and Robert Barchi in cloning skeletal muscle sodium channel genes and studying their regulatory expression. He did his postdoctoral research in the laboratory of William Catterall at the University of Washington studying structural and functional coupling of presynaptic calcium channels and the synaptic vesicle docking/fusion machinery. In November 1996, he joined NINDS as an investigator and in 2007 was promoted to senior investigator. Dr. Sheng's laboratory focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying neurotransmitter release and its modulation.

Laboratory Staff

Qian Cai, M.D., Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow  301-451- 9669
Yanmin Chen, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow 
Claudia Gerwin, B.S. Research Assistant  301-435- 8131
Jian-Sheng Kang, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow 
Miriam  Leenders, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow  301-435- 9668
Pin-Yue Pan, M.D. Graduate Student 
Anthony Simone, B.A. Postbaccalaureate IRTA 
Katherine Tsubota, B.S. Postbaccalaureate IRTA 
Yi-Bing Zhu, M.D. Graduate Student 

Research Interests

The formation of new synapses or remodeling of existing synapses requires the targeted delivery of synaptic components. Presynaptic components, including active zone (AZ) precursors, mitochondria, and proteins responsible for the assembly of synaptic vesicle (SV) fusion machines, are transported to the nerve terminal by kinesin motors moving along microtubules. Upon arrival at the terminal, cargo-loaded transport vesicles undergo fusion with the plasma membrane to assemble AZs and to recruit SVs. Docked and primed SVs are then available for exocytosis in response to a rise in intracellular [Ca2+] triggered by the opening of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. Proper synaptic function requires the tight coordination of these processes.

Selected Recent Publications

Jian-Sheng Kang, Jin-Hua Tian*, Ping-Yue Pan*, Philip Zald, Cuiling Li, Chuxia Deng, and Zu-Hang Sheng
Docking of Axonal Mitochondria by Syntaphilin Controls their Mobility and Affects Short-term Facilitation (*equal contribution) - Cell  132 137-248 2008

Qain Cai, Ping-Yue Pan, and Zu-Hang Sheng
Syntabulin-kinesin-1 family 5B-mediated axonal transport contributes to activity-dependent presynaptic assembly - Journal of Neuroscience  27 7284-7296 (With Weekly Editorial News) 2007

Ping-Yue Pan, Qian Cai, Lin Lin, Pei-Hua Lu, Shu-Min Duan, and Zu-Hang Sheng.
SNAP29-mediated modulation of synaptic transmission in cultured hippocampal neurons - The Journal of Biological Chemistry   280 25769-25779 2005

Qian Cai, Claudia Gerwin, and Zu-Hang Sheng
Syntabulin-mediated anterograde transport of mitochondria along the neuronal processes - Journal of Cell Biology   170 959-969 2005

Jin-Hua Tian, Zheng-Xing Wu, Michael Unzicker, Li Lu, Qian Cai, Cuiling Li, Claudia Schirra, Ulf Matti, David Stevens, Chuxia Deng, Jens Rettig, and Zu-Hang Sheng
The Role of Snapin in Neurosecretion: Snapin Knockout Mice Exhibit Impaired Calcium-dependent Exocytosis of Large Dense-core Vesicles in Chromaffin Cells - Journal of Neuroscience  25 10546-10555 (With Weekly Editorial News) 2005

Qian Cai*, Qingning Su*, Claudia Gerwin, Carolyn L. Smith, Zu-Hang Sheng
Syntabulin: a microtubule-associated protein implicated in syntaxin trafficking in neurons  - Nature Cell Biology  6 941-953 (with news & views)(*equal contributions) 2004

Selected Earlier Publications

Contact Information

Synaptic Function Section, NINDS Porter Neuroscience Research Center  Building 35, Room 3B-203  35 Convent Drive, MSC 3701 Bethesda MD  20892-3701

Telephone: 301-435- 4596 (office), 301- 435-8131 (laboratory), 301-480- 5763 (fax), Email: zsheng@codon.nih.gov