Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics

M.D. 1960, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Ph.D. 1965, Brandeis University

913B Stellar-Chance Building / 6059
Tel: (215) 898-5184, 898-8348
Fax: (215) 573-7058
Email: rgk@mail.med.upenn.edu

Kallen Departmental Page

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.

Gordon, D., Ilan, N., Zilberberg, N., Gilles, N., Urbach, D., Cohen, L., Karbat, I., Froy, O., Gaathon, A., Kallen, R.G., Benveniste, M., Gurevitz, M (2002) An 'Old World' scorpion beta-toxin that recognizes both insect and mammalian sodium channels. Eur J Biochem 270(12):2663-70.

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

Deschenes, I., L.-Q. Chen, M. Chahine, M. and R.G. Kallen (1998) Electrophysiological study of chimeric sodium channels from heart and skeletal muscle. Memb. Biol. 164:25-34.