Donglin Bai
Associate Professor
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PH.D. University of Cambridge |
I am interested in delineating how gap junction mutants causing human diseases, including cardiac arrhythmias, skin diseases, neurodegeneration and infertility. We are using dual patch clamp and dynamic fluorescent imaging (calcium imaging and voltage-sensitive dye imaging) techniques to investigate the functional outcomes of mutant connexins. We have a Gap Junction Group (http://www.uwo.ca/physpharm/gapjunction) at UWO, which provides an enriched stimulating research environment. I am interested in the fast excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission in hippocampus. The endogenous modulators of ionotropic L-glutamate receptors and GABAA receptors are investigated using patch clamp in isolated, cultured and brain slice neurons. I am also very interested in defining the functional domains of connexin molecule in determining the gap junction channel properties.
Tong, D., Gittens, J.E.I., Kidder, G.M. and Bai, D. (2006) Patch clamp study reveals that the importance of connexin43-mediated gap junctional communication for ovarian folliculogenesis is strain-specific in the mouse. Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol. 290, C290-C2972. M.H. Gollob, D.L. Jones, A.D. Krahn, L. Danis, X.Q. Gong, Q. Shao, X. Liu, J.P. Veinot, A.S.L. Tang, A. Stewart, F. Tesson, G.J. Klein, R. Yee, A.C. Skanes, G.M. Guiraudon, L. Ebihara, D. Bai (2006) Somatic mutations in the connexin 40 gene (GJA5) in atrial fibrillation. New Eng. J. Med. 354, 2677-26883. Gong, X.Q., Frandsen, A., Lu, W.Y., Wan, Y., Zabek, R.L., Pickering, D.S. and Bai, D. (2005) D-Aspartate and NMDA, but not L-aspartate, block AMPA receptors in rat hippocampal neurons. Br. J. Pharm. 145, 449-4594. Bai, D., Zhu, G., Pennefather, P., Jackson, M., MacDonald, J.F. and Orser, B.A. (2001) Distinct functional and pharmacological properties of tonic and quantal inhibitory postsynaptic currents mediated by g-aminobutyric acid A receptors in hippocampal neurons. Mol. Pharm. 59, 814-824
