Feng Joins Department of Pharmacology
Dr. John Feng will join the faculty at Case in the fall of 2007 as Assistant Professor of Pharmacology. In 2000, John Feng received his Ph.D. of molecular biology and biochemistry from SUNY Upstate Medical University, where he worked with Dr. Stewart Loh on mechanisms and kinetics of protein folding. After his graduation, John decided to combine his strength in mathematics with his enthusiasm in genetics. As a postdoctoral fellow recipient of La Jolla Interfaces in Science, he has successfully developed an automated C. elegans behavioral quantification system at University of California, San Diego. Later on, John Feng joined Dr. Shawn Xu’s lab at Life Science Institute, University of Michigan, where he established C. elegans as a genetic model organism of nicotine dependence using the automated C. elegans behavioral quantification system in addition to methods of molecular genetics, pharmacology, functional imaging and biochemistry. Particularly, he identified TRP (Transient Receptor Potential) channels as novel regulators for nicotine dependence in C. elegans. Later on, human TRP homologues have been suggested to be important for nicotine addiction in humans.
As evidence for his success, John published primary research papers in Cell, Nature, BMC Bioinformatics, Journal of Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Journal of Biological Chemistry and other journals.
Research Interests
The current research focus of John’s lab is: 1) Dissecting the genetic mechanisms of dopamine neurotransmission-related human diseases (e.g. Parkinson’s disease) and disorders (e.g. drugs of abuse); 2) in vivo screening for potential therapeutic drugs to treat these disorders and diseases.
Dysfunction of dopamine neurotransmission is directly involved in a variety of human disorders and diseases such as drug addiction and Parkinson’s disease. For example, stimulation of the mesolimbic dopamine system by drugs of abuse is a critical step leading to the development of drug addiction. The primary symptoms of Parkinson’s disease primarily result from deficits in stimulation of the motor cortex by the basal ganglia, which is caused by insufficient dopamine synthesis and action.
What are the genes regulating the development of Parkinson’s disease and drug addiction? How are these genes related to dopamine neurotransmission? Can we develop more effective and safer therapeutic drugs to treat these disorders and diseases? The complexity of the mammalian nervous systems poses a tremendous challenge to address these questions. C. elegans has recently emerged as an increasingly popular genetic model organism for the study of neurobiology and human diseases for a number of reasons: 1) The genes regulating neuronal activity are highly conserved between mammals and C. elegans. For example, many genes playing key roles in synaptic transmission were first cloned and characterized in C. elegans, which then facilitated the identification of their homologues in mammals; 2). C. elegans has a nervous system with only 302 neurons and ~6000 synapses, much simpler than the human brain (>100 billion neurons and ~100 trillion synapses); 3) C. elegans represents the only organism whose nervous system has been completely mapped by electron microscopy; 4) Powerful genetic tools available in C. elegans combined with its short generation (~3 day) offer C. elegans an unparalleled advantage for isolating mutants, identifying novel genes and studying their functions in vivo.
Recently, John has developed C. elegans as a powerful model for the study of drug dependence. In particular, he has identified TRP (Transient Receptor Potential) channels as novel regulators for nicotine dependence in C. elegans. Later on, human TRP homologues have been suggested to be important for nicotine addiction in humans. As is the case with mammals, dopamine neurotransmission also plays a key role in nicotine dependence in worms. Nevertheless, questions remain. How are TRP channels related to dopamine neurotransmission? What are there other unknown genes critical for dopamine neurotransmission-related human diseases or disorders like nicotine dependence? To address these questions, John’s lab uses a multidisciplinary approach involving molecular genetics, pharmacology, functional imaging and biochemistry. John’s lab will also conduct in vivo screens for potential therapeutic drugs to treat these disorders and diseases.