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2016年10月13日学术报告

Title: TRP channels and sensory function in skin keratinocytes

Michael Caterina, M.D., Ph.D.

Solomon H. Snyder Professor

Professor of NeurosurgeryJohns Hopkins University

Biography:Dr. Michael J. Caterina is a professor of neurosurgery, biological chemistry and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is a sensory neurobiologist with a focus on the molecular basis of pain and temperature sensation. Dr. Caterina earned his bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University and subsequently the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He completed a fellowship in cellular and molecular pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Caterina joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 1999.

Dr. Caterina is one of the founding members of the Center for Sensory Biology. He leads the Johns Hopkins Medicine Brain Sciences Institute's Pain Working Group, which brings together investigators from multiple disciplines to enhance their understanding of pain mechanisms. His work has been recognized with a number of national and international awards, including the Patrick Wall Young Investigator Award from the International Association for the Study of Pain in 2005 and the Donlin M. Long Pain Service Award from the Johns Hopkins Blaustein Pain Research Program in 2013.

 

Abstract:The skin is by mass the largest organ in the body and presents an enormous surface area for interaction with the external world.  Accordingly, it is an important locus for the detection of threats to our body’s integrity.  Perhaps the best recognized cells that participate in the detection of these threats are sensory neurons that respond to painful or nonpainful stimulation of the skin.  These cells use a variety of mechanisms, including ion channels of the transient receptor potential (TRP) family, to detect mechanical, chemical, thermal, and electrical stimuli and trigger sensations of touch, temperature, itch, or pain.   Another cell type that has been relatively understudied with respect to its potential contributions to sensation is the skin keratinocyte.  These epithelial cells form the epidermal barrier that provides mechanical integrity to the skin, keeps fluids and important biological chemicals inside, and keeps invading microorganisms outside.  However, by virtue of their numbers and location, keratinocytes are also well-positioned to detect noxious and innocuous environmental stimuli and to communicate the presence of these stimuli to the sensory nervous system.  In my presentation, I will discuss current understanding of keratinocyte to sensory neuron communication and our laboratory’s recent efforts to explore the potential sensory roles of keratinocytes in health and disease, with an emphasis on the contributions of TRP channels to this process.

Time: Oct. 13th, 2016, 16:00-17:30

Venue: New Biology Building, Room 143