Show-Ling Shyng, Ph.D.
- Email:
- shyngs@ohsu.edu
- Position:
- Senior Scientist, CROET
- Associate Professor, Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, OHSU
- Office:
- CROET 1586
Read more about Dr. Shyng's research
Research Interests
Our laboratory is interested in understanding how ion channels function at the molecular level. The current focus is on the ATP-sensitive postassium channels (KATP channels). KATP channels are the molecular sensors that link cell metabolism to cell excitablility. They play important roles in a wide variety of tissues. They control insulin secretion, are involved in the response to cardiac and cerebral ischaemia, regulate smooth muscle tone, and modulate neurotransmitter release at synapses. KATP channels are regulated by a number of intracellular molecules, including ATP, ADP, and membrane phosphoinositides, properties that enable them to couple metabolic changes to changes in cell exitability. KATP channels are formed by two distinct protein subunits: a sulfonylurea receptor (SUR.x) and an inwardly rectifying potassium channel subunity (Kir6.x). Using site-directed mutagenesis combined with patch-clamp recordings and biochemical experiments, we are investigating the molecular basis underlying channel regulation. Mutations in both SUR1 and Kir6.2 genes have been found in patients with insulin secretion diseases. To understand howthese mutations cause deregulation of insulin secretion, we are 
identifying the molecular defects of these mutant channels, in terms of their assembly, trafficking, and functional properties.
Many chemicals encountered in work places target ion channels to exert their toxic effects. Our efforts in understanding how ion channels function and interact with foreign substances at the molecular level will help us develop preventive strategies to block the effects of hazardous materials.
Biography
Show-Ling Shyng received her B.S. in Zoology in 1984 from the National Taiwan University and her Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Behavior in 1990 from Cornell University. After spending a year as a postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology, she moved to Washington University where she was a research associate, and then a research assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology. She joined CROET as an Assistant Scientist in 1999.
