SMART program student Maribel Granja presenting her summer research.

Molecular Neurogenetics Laboratory Institute of Behavioral Genetics Life Sciences Research Bldg #4 Department of Integrative Physiology University of Colorado Boulder, CO 80309-0447 phone: 303-735-6571 fax: 303-492-8063

Research Interests

• The role of the nicotinic cholinergic system in behavior, physiology, and disease.


• The neurobiological bases for the actions of nicotine and alcohol.

Personnel

• Director: Jerry A. Stitzel, PhD.


• Postdoctoral Fellows: Becky Helfand, PhD; Anne Tammimäki, PhD; André Zalud, PhD.


• Graduate Students: Coral Cabrera, BS; Will Horton, BS.


• BA/MS Student: Lauren Ljunghag.


• Professional Research Assistants: James Laughlin, Vivian Nguyen.


• Undergraduate Students: Lori Frazer, Hannah Gissel, Nick Lahvic, Lauren Ray, Patricia Wuu.


• Collaborators: Don Cooper, PhD, Marissa Ehringer, PhD, Sharon Grady, PhD, Chris Lowry, PhD and Michael Marks, PhD, University of Colorado at Boulder; Cathy Adams, PhD, Robert Freedman, MD, Sherry Leonard, PhD, and Karen Stevens, PhD, University of Colorado at Denver; Gustav Akk, PhD, Laura Bierut, MD and Joe Henry Steinbach, Washington University, St. Louis; Haris Vikis, Medical College of Wisconsin.

Front row: Anne Tammimaki, Lori Fraser, Patricia Wuu, Penny Herder. Back row: Hannah Gissel, Jerry Stitzel, Will Horton, André Zalud, James Laughlin, Becky Helfand and Vivian Nguyen.

Current Research Projects

• Identification of naturally occurring polymorphisms in the mouse neuronal nicotinic receptor subunit gene family.


• Assessment of the relation between identified nicotinic receptor gene polymorphisms, behavior, neuroanatomy, and physiology.


• Molecular and cellular characterization of nicotinic receptor polymorphisms.


• Utilization of nicotinic receptor knock-out mice to determine the pharmacological targets of nicotinic compounds.


• Mapping of genetic loci that influence free-choice nicotinic consumption in mice.


• Assessing the extent to which sensitivity to the physiological and behavioral effects of nicotine varies over the course of a day and determining the role of melatonin, nicotine metabolism and nicotinic receptor expression in this phenomenon.

Opportunities for Undergraduates

Undergraduates wanting to begin participating in research in our laboratory must meet the following requirements:

• Minimum committment: 1 academic year.
• Minimum hr/week: 8 (in blocks of 2 hr or more work/day).
• Minimum experience: No prior experience required.
• Other: Must be willing to work with rodents and work occasionally on weekends.

Videos

Recent Publications

• Bierut LJ, Stitzel JA, Wang JC, Hinrichs AL, Grucza RA, Xuei X, Saccone NL, Saccone SF, Bertelsen S, Fox L, Horton WH, Breslau N, Budde J, Cloninger CR, Dick DM, Foroud T, Hatsukami D, Hesselbrock V, Johnson EO, Kramer J, Kuperman S, Madden PAF, Mayo K, Nurnberger J, Pomerleau O, Porjesz B, Reyes O, Schuckit M, Swan G, Tischfield JA, Edenberg HJ, Rice JP, Goete AM. Variants in nicotinic receptors and risk for nicotine dependence. American Journal of Psychiatry 165:1163-71, 2008.


• Brooks N, Mexal S, Stitzel JA. Chrna7 genotype is linked with alpha7 nicotinic receptor expression but not alpha7 RNA levels. Brain Research 1263:1-9, 2009.


• McClure-Begley TD, King NM, Collins AC, Stitzel JA, Wehner JM, Butt CM. Acetylcholine-Stimulated [3H]GABA Release from Mouse Brain Synaptosomes is Modulated by α4β2 and α4α5β2 Nicotinic Receptor Subtypes. Journal of Neurochemistry 75:918-26, 2009.


• Papke RL, Wecker L, Stitzel JA. Activation and inhibition of mouse muscle and neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 333: 501-18, 2010.


• Wilking JA, Hesterberg KG, Crouch EL, Homanics GE, Stitzel JA. Chrna4 A529 knock-in mice exhibit altered nicotine sensitivity. Pharmacogenetics and Genomics 20: 121-30, 2010.

Funding

• 2008-2013, NIH/NCI, "Collaborative Genetic Study of Nicotine Dependence: Role of Chrna5 in Modulating Sensitivity to Nicotine in Mice"


• 2009-2014, NIH/NIMH, "Basic to Clinical Molecular Neurobiology of Nicotinic Receptors in Schizophrenia"


• 2009-2011, NIH/NIDA, "Function of the CHRNA5 D398N SNP: Implications for Addiction and Lung Cancer Risk"


• 2009-2011, NIH/NIDA, "Nicotinic Receptor Genes and Susbtance Abuse: Functional Studies of Associated SNPs"