Receptor Biology Unit - Division of Intramural Research

 Katherine W.   Roche  Ph.D., Investigator

Dr. Roche received her B.S. from Duke University. In 1995 she received her Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University, where she worked with Richard Huganir studying the regulation of glutamate receptors. She then did a postdoctoral fellowship with Robert Wenthold in the NIDCD, where she investigated the cell biology of glutamate receptor transport and localization. Dr. Roche joined NINDS as an Investigator in 2001. The main focus of her laboratory is the study of neurotransmitter receptor expression and targeting to the synapse.

Laboratory Staff

John Badger, B.S., Research Assistant , 301-541- 6241
Bo-Shiun Chen, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow , 301-541- 6240
Kyu Yeong Choi, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Marc Lussier, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Antonio Sanz-Clemente, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Young Suh, M.D., Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Tina Tang, , Student
Eleanor Thomas, , Postbaccalaureate IRTA

Research Interests

Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system, and in addition to its central role in fast excitatory signaling it is also involved in synaptogenesis, synaptic plasticity, and the pathogenesis of certain neurologic diseases. Although glutamate acts as a neurotransmitter in all pathways of the central nervous system, the response to glutamate is not uniform at all glutamatergic synapses and varies with the type of glutamate receptor expressed on the postsynaptic membrane. In this context, we are interested in studying synapse-specific expression of postsynaptic NMDA and metabotropic glutamate receptors. My laboratory characterizes the molecular mechanisms underlying neurotransmitter receptor transport and localization at the synapse using several research strategies which include (1) defining sorting motifs present in neurotransmitter receptor cytosolic domains, (2) isolating neurotransmitter receptor-associated proteins, and (3) determining the role of protein-protein interactions in trafficking and specific synapse localization. Using these cell biological approaches, we hope to elucidate the mechanisms of neurotransmitter receptor trafficking in neurons and the role of accessory proteins at central synapses.

Selected Recent Publications

Lee, J.H., Lee, J., Choi, K.Y., Hepp, R., Lee J.Y., Lim, M.K., Chatani-Hinze, M., Kim, D.G., Ahn, Y.S., Kim, C.H., and Roche, K.W.
Calmodulin Dynamically Regulates the Trafficking of the Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor mGluR5 - PNAS    2008

Suh, Y.H., Pelkey, K.A., Lavezzari, G., Roche, P.A., Huganir, R.L., McBain, C.J., and Roche, K.W.
Co-Requirement of PICK1 Binding and PKC Phosphorylation for Stable Surface Expression of the Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor mGluR7 - Neuron  58 736-48 2008

Chen, B.S., Braud, S., Badger, J.D. 2nd, Isaac, J.T., and Roche, K.W.
Regulation of NR1/NR2C N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors by phosphorylation - J. Biol. Chem.  281(24) 16583-90 2006

Nasu-Nishimura, Y., Hurtado, D., Braud, S., Tang, T.T., Isaac, J.T., and Roche, K.W.
Identification of an endoplasmic reticulum-retention motif in an intracellular loop of the kainate receptor subunit KA2 - J. Neurosci.  26(26) 7014-21 2006

Pelkey, K.A., Lavezzari, G., Racca, C., Roche, K.W., and McBain, C.J.
mGluR7 is a metaplastic switch controllling bi-directional plasticity of feedforward inhibition - Neuron  46 89-102 2005

Kim, C.H., Braud, S., Isaac, J.T.R., and Roche, K.W.
PKC phosphorylation of the metabotropic glutamate receptor mGluR5 on serine 839 regulates Ca2+ oscillations - J. Biol. Chem.  280(27) 25409-15 2005

Selected Earlier Publications

Contact Information

Receptor Biology Unit, NINDS Porter Neuroscience Research Center  Building 35, Room 2C-903  35 Convent Drive, MSC 3704 Bethesda MD  20892-3704

Telephone: 301-496- 3800 (office), - - (laboratory), 301-480- 4186 (fax), Email: rochek@ninds.nih.gov