Bo-Shiun Chen, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Institute of Molecular Medicine & Genetics, Department of Neurology

Ph.D., University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) & Rutgers University, Piscataway/New Jersey/US, 2003
Telephone: (706) 721-5926
Fax: (706) 721-8752
E-mail: bochen@georgiahealth.edu

Research Interests

Glutamate receptors play essential roles in the regulation of synaptic activity and dysfunction of these receptors contributes too many neurological and psychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkison's disease and schizophrenia.  Adequate excitatory neurotransmission is required to maintain normal physiological brain function, with the strength of postsynaptic responses to glutamate controlled by the precise regulation of the number and type of glutamate receptors expressed on postsynaptic neurons. Most excitatory synapses in the mammalian brain contain two major classes of postsynaptic glutamate receptors, NMDA receptors and AMPA receptors. My laboratory focuses on studying the molecular mechanisms by which NMDA receptors are regulated to modulate the strength of synaptic transmission. NMDA receptors are critical in mediating the excitotoxicity produced during cerebral ischaemia. We are interested in understanding the molecular basis for the role of NMDA receptors in controlling neuronal survival and damage. We use a combination of molecular biology, biochemistry and cell biology to characterize NMDA receptor trafficking and regulation. .

Selected Publications

B.-S. Chen, S. Braud, J. D. Badger II, J. T. R. Isaac and K. W. Roche. Regulation of NR1/NR2C N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors by phosphorylation. J. Biol. Chem. 281:16583 (2006)

B.-S. Chen* and K. W. Roche.  Regulation of NMDA receptors by phosphorylation.   Neuropharmacology. 53:362 (2007)
(* Corresponding author)

B.-S. Chen* and K. W. Roche*. Growth factor-dependent trafficking of cerebellar NMDA receptors via protein kinase B/Akt phosphorylation of NR2C. Neuron 62: 471 (2009) (* Corresponding author)

T.-T. Tang, F. Yang, B.-S. Chen, Y. Lu, Y. Ji, K. W. Roche and B. Lu. Dysbindin Regulates Hippocampal LTP by Controlling NMDA Receptor Surface Expression. PNAS 106:21395 (2009)

B.-S. Chen*, E. V. Thomas, A. Sanz-Clemente and K. W. Roche. NMDA Receptor-Dependent Regulation of Dendritic Spine Morphology by SAP102 Splice Variants. J. Neurosci. 31:89 (2011) (*Corresponding author)  

S. L. Shipman, E. Schnell, T. Hirai, B.-S. Chen, K. W. Roche and R. A. Nicoll. Functional Dependence of Neuroligin on a New, Non-PDZ Intracellular Domain.  Nature Neurosci. 14:718 (2011)

B.-S. Chen*, J.A. Gray, A. Sanz-Clemente, Z. Wei, E.V. Thomas, R.A. Nicoll and K.W. Roche*.  SAP102 Mediates Synaptic Clearance of NMDA Receptors. Cell Rep. 2:1120 (2012) (*Corresponding author)