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HUEI-SHENG VINCENT CHEN, B.M., PH.D.
Assistant Professor
Development and Aging
858.646.3183 (phone)
hsv_chen@sanfordburnham.org
RESEARCH FOCUS, BIOGRAPHY, PUBLICATIONS
Research Focus
Ion channels are essential for neurotransmission, cellular differentiation, and cardiac excitability. However, excessive activities of voltage- or ligand-gated channels would lead to neuronal damage, epilepsy or cardiac arrhythmias. The Chen laboratory has two main research foci on the ion channels: 1) To elucidate the structure of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-gated channel, and to develop safe, selective open-channel blockers of NMDA receptors for the therapy of neurodegenerative diseases; and 2) To elucidate the mechanisms of development of sinoatrial pacemaker cells of embryonic hearts in order to develop biological pacemaker cells from embryonic stem cells.Biography
Huei-Sheng Vincent Chen earned his Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School in 1993 and his B.M. (M.D. equivalent) at College of Medicine, National Taiwan University. He completed residency training in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He then completed his Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology fellowship at the Beth-Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. He received postdoctoral training in Dr. Stephen Heinemann’s Laboratory at The Salk Institute and cardiac electrophysiology training with Dr. Mark Josephson and Dr. Gregory Feld. Dr. Chen was recruited to the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute as assistant professor in 2002.Selected Publications
Chen, H-S. V., Pellegrini, J. W., Aggarwal, S. K., Lei, S-Z., Warach, S., Jensen, F.E. and Lipton, S. A. Open channel block of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) responses by memantine: Therapeutic advantage against NMDA receptor-mediated neurotoxicity. J. Neuroscience 12: 4427-4436, 1992.Lipton, S. A., Choi, Y-B., Pan, Z-H., Lei, S. Z., Chen, H-S. V., Sucher, N. J., Loscalzo, J., Singel, D. J., Stamler, J. S. A redox-based mechanism for neuroprotective and neurodestructive effects of nitric oxide and related nitroso-compounds. Nature (London) 364:626-632, 1993.
Sullivan, J. M., Traynelis, S. F., Chen, H-S. V., Escobar, W., Heinemann, S. F., and Lipton, S. A. Identification of two cysteine residues that are required for redox modulation of the NMDA subtype of glutamate receptor. Neuron 13: 929-936, 1994.
Chen, H-S. V. and Lipton, S. A. Mechanism of memantine block of N-Methyl-D-aspartate-activated channel in rat retinal ganglion cells: Uncompetitive antagonism. J. Physiol. (London) 499.1: 27-46, 1997.
Chen, H-S. V., Wang, Y. F., Rayudu, P. V., Edgecomb, P., Neill, J. C., Lipton, S. A., and Jensen, F. E. Neuroprotective concentrations of the NMDA open-channel blocker memantine are effective without cytoplasmic vacuolation following post-ischemic administration and do not block maze learning or LTP. Neuroscience 86:1121-1132, 1998.
Choi, Y.-B., Tenneti, L., Le , D. A., Ortiz, J., Bai, G., Chen, H.-S. V., and Lipton, S. A.. Molecular basis of NMDA receptor-coupled ion channel modulation by S-nitrosylation. Nature Neuroscience 3:15-21, 2000.
Choi, Y.-B., Chen, H.-S. V,. and Lipton, S. A. Three pairs of cysteine residues mediate both redox and Zn(2+) modulation of the NMDA receptor. J. Neuroscience 21(2):392-400, 2001.
Chen H-S V. and Lipton SA. The chemical biology of clinically tolerated NMDA receptor antagonists. J. Neurochem. 2006, 97: 1611-1626.
Wada, A., Takahashi, H., Lipton, SA., and Chen H-S. V. NR3A Modulates the Outer Vestibule of the “NMDA” Receptor-Channel. J. Neuroscience, 2006, 26: 13156-13166.
Ocorr, K., Reeves, NL., Wessells, RJ., Fink, M., H-S. Chen, H-S. V., Akasaka, T., Yasuda, S., Metzger, J., Giles, W., Posakony, JW., and Bodmer, R. KCNQ potassium channel mutations cause cardiac arrhythmias in Drosophila that mimic the effects of aging. PNAS, 2007, 104: 3943-3948.
List of Publications via PubMed
(NIH National Library of Medicine)