| | Principal Investigators
| Ted B. Usdin,
M.D., Ph.D. |
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Dr.
Usdin is a Senior Investigator in the Section on Fundamental Neuroscience of NIMH. He attended college at
Johns Hopkins University. His graduate work in the Medical
Scientist Training Program at Washington University in
St. Louis with Gerald Fischbach focused on the identification
of factors responsible for neuromuscular junction development.
Dr. Usdin completed a residency in psychiatry at Stanford
University and then in 1990 joined the NIMH Laboratory
of Cell Biology. Dr. Usdin is exploring the biological
role of tuberoinfundibular peptide, a new neuropeptide
that his group recently discovered. |
| Research Interests |
|
The work of this group over the last several years lead to the molecular identification of several
neurotransmitter transporters and receptors and to their characterization. The current focus of the lab
stems from discovery of the parathyroid hormone 2 (PTH2) receptor. This receptor is activated by
parathyroid hormone, however its anatomical distribution, and functional differences between the receptor
isolated from several species lead them to look for another physiological ligand. They recently purified a
previously unknown polypeptide, TIP39, from the hypothalamus based on selective activation of the PTH2
receptor. They are now working to elucidate the physiological role of this new peptide-receptor system
using open ended questions, and testing specific hypotheses for its function that are derived from mapping
of the peptide and receptor�s anatomical distributions. Current hypotheses include that TIP39 and the
PTH2 receptor are modulators of pain perception and pituitary hormone secretion. In addition, a
developing interest in genomics fuels contributions to the Mammalian Gene Collection Project and the
NIMH Brain Molecular Anatomy Project. |
| Representative Selected Recent Publications: |
- Usdin, T. B., S. R.
J. Hoare, T. Wang, É. Mezey and J. A. Kowalak:
TIP39: a new neuropeptide and PTH2-recepor
agonist from hypothalamus. Nature Neuroscience, 2, 941-943, 1999.
- Wang, T., M. Palkovits,
M. Rusnak, É. Mezey, and T. B. Usdin:
Distribution of Parathyroid Hormone 2 Receptor-like
Immunoreactivity and Messenger Ribonucleic Acid in
the Rat Nervous System. Neuroscience, 100: 629-649, 2000.
- Hoare, S. R., J. A.
Clark, and T. B. Usdin.: Molecular determinants
of tuberoinfundibular peptide of 39 residues (TIP39)
selectivity for the parathyroid hormone (PTH) 2 receptor:
N-terminal truncation of TIP39 reverses PTH2 receptor/PTH1
receptor binding selectivity. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 275(35): 27274-27283, 2000.
- Dobolyi, A., H. Ueda,
H. Uchida, M. Palkovits, and T. B. Usdin:
Anatomical and Physiological Evidence for Involvement
of Tuberoinfundibular Peptide of 39 Residues in Nociception.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 99: 1651-1656, 2002.
- Dobolyi, A., M. Palkovits,
and T. B. Usdin: Expression and
distribution of tuberoinfundibular peptide of 39 residues
in the rat central nervous system. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 455: 457-566, 2003.
|
Address:
|
Laboratory of Genetics, NIMH
Bldg. 35 Rm. 1B215
35 Convent Drive MSC 3728 (U.S. Mail)
Bethesda, MD 20892-3728 |
| Phone: |
301-402-6976 |
| Email Dr. Usdin |
| Fax: |
301-402-0245 |
| Lab Web Site: |
No Site Available |
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