Roland G. Kallen, MD, Ph.D

faculty photo
Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Department: Biochemistry and Biophysics
Graduate Group Affiliations

Contact information
913 Stellar-Chance Building
422 Curie Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: (215) 898-5184
Fax: (215) 573-7058
Education:
B.A.
Amherst College, 1956.
M.D.
Columbia University - College of Physicians & Surgeons, 1960.
Ph.D. (Biochemistry)
Brandeis University, 1965.
MS (Biochemistry)
University of Pennsylvania, 1971.
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Description of Research Expertise

The action potential responsible for muscle contraction involves the voltage-gated sodium channel. We are studying the conformations of parts of the molecule in the activated, inactivated, closed states, determining the architecture of sites of drug and toxin binding for rational drug design, and elucidating the regulation of the expression of these proteins during development and in disease states. A transgenic model of human diseases is under development for pathophysiological and therapeutic studies. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements are being employed to obtain distance measurements between specifically labeled sites to provide information on the 3-D structure of this channel.

Selected Publications

Gordon D., Gilles N., Bertrand D., Molgo J., Nicholson GM, Sauviat MP, Benoit E., Shichor I, Lotan I, Gurevitz M, Kallen RG, Heinemann S. : “Scorpion Toxins Differentiating Among Neuronal Sodium Channel Subtypes: Nature's Guide For Design of Selective Drugs” In: Perspectives in Molecular Tocxinolog A. Menez (eds.). John Wiley and Sons: Chichister, England Page: 215-238, 2002.

Castaneda-Castellanos DR, Nikonorov I, Kallen RG, Recio-Pinto E : Lidocaine Stabilizes the Open State of CNS Voltage-Dependent Sodium Channels Brain Res Mol Brain Res 99: 102-113, 2002.

Zhang , H., Kolibal , S., Tang , L., Vanderkooi, J., Cohen , S.A., Kallen, R.G. : "A carboxy-terminal alpha-helical segment in the rat skeletal muscle voltage-dependent Na+ channel is responsible for its interaction with the amino-terminus" Biochim. Biophys. Acta Biomembranes 1467(2): 406-418, 2000.

Sheets, M.F., Kyle, J.W., Kallen, R.G., Hanck, D.A. : 89. “The Na channel voltage sensor associated with inactivation is localized to the external charged residues of domain IV, S4” Biophys. J. 77: 747-757, 1999.

Kraner, S.D., Rich, M. M., Sholl, M.A., Zhou, H., Zorc, C.S., Kallen, R.G. and Barchi, R.L. : "Interaction between the skeletal muscle type 1 Na+ channel promoter E- box and an upstream repressor element. Release of repression by myogenin" J Biol Chem 274: 8129-8136, 1999.

O'Reilly, J.P., Wang, S.Y., Kallen, R.G. and Wang, G.K. : "Comparison of slow inactivation in human heart and rat skeletal muscle Na+ channel chimaeras" J Physiol (Lond) 515: 61-73, 1999.

Zhang, H., Kraner, S.D., Barchi, R.L., Kallen, R.G. : “Tandem Redundant Promoter Elements from the Tetrodotoxin-Resistant Voltage-Sensitive Na+ Channel (rSkM2) Gene Can Independently Drive Transcription” Gene Expression 8: 85-103, 1999.

Tang L., Wieland, S.J., Kallen, R.G. : "Glutamine Substitution at Alanine1649 in the S4-S5 Cytoplasmic Loop of Domain 4 Removes the Voltage-Sensitivity of Fast Inactivation in the Human Heart Sodium Channel" J. Gen. Physiol. 111: 639-652, 1998.

Chahine, M., Marcotte, P., Chen, L.-Q. and Kallen, R.G. : “Extrapore Residues of the S5-S6 Loop of Domain 2 of the Voltage-Gated Skeletal Muscle Sodium Channel (rSkM1) Contribute to the :-Conotoxin GIIIA Binding Site” Biophysical J. 75: 236-246, 1998.

Kraner, S.D., Rich, M.A., Kallen, R.G., Barchi, R.L. : “Two E-Boxes Are the Focal Point of Muscle-Specific Skeletal Muscle Type 1 (SkM1) Na+ Channel Gene Expression” J. Biol. Chem. 273: 11327-11334, 1998.

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Last updated: 05/04/2015
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