James S. King, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Interim Chair
Department of Neuroscience
Assistant Dean for Research
Degree: The Ohio State University
Postdoctoral Training: Wayne State University, Dr. Clement Fox
Phone: (614) 688-8792
Fax: (614) 688-8742
E-MAIL: king.11@osu.edu
Link to NLM PubMed publications list for James S. King (last 10 years)
Research Area:
Defining the role of neuropeptides in the developing cerebellum.
Current Research:
Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) is a 41 amino acid peptide that plays a critical role in mediating the stress response. In addition to being present in the stress axis, CRF also is present in neural systems that are involved in regulating motor activity including the cerebellum. In the adult, CRF acts to modulate the physiological responsiveness of neurons to excitatory amino acids. CRF also is present during the development of the cerebellum, at times that precede synaptogenesis. This suggests that during development, CRF has a different role as compared to its modulatory role in the adult.
Current research interests in my laboratory encompass an analysis of possible roles of the CRF in regulating the development of cerebellar circuits. It is our hypothesis that CRF, acting through multiple types of receptors, functions as a regulatory factor during the ontogeny of cerebellar circuits. We propose that CRF may be involved in inducing proliferation and/ or differentiation of glia and neurons in the immature cerebellum, or that it may play a role in cell survival. Immunohistochemical, in situ, hybridization histochemistry, electron microscopic and physiological experiments are being carried out to more precisely define the role of CRF and its receptor subtypes in the adult and developing cerebellum.
Collaborations:
Collaborative efforts, with Dr. Georgia Bishop, are directed toward understanding the physiological responsiveness of developing cerebellar neurons as well as defining interactions between CRF and amino acids at different developmental stages.
Techniques:
Students in my laboratory currently have the opportunity to learn and use the following techniques in their research: Neuroanatomical: immunohistochemistry; electron microscopy; histology; receptor binding.
Cellular: in situ hybridization, tissue culture.
Other: construct development for making transgenic animals.
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