Meyer B. Jackson

 

 

Excitability, Synapses, and Circuits in the Nervous System

E-mail: mjackson@physiology.wisc.edu

Research Strengths: Membrane Excitability and Synaptic Transmission, Molecular Neuroscience, Neural Circuits

My laboratory investigates synaptic transmission in the central nervous system using the patch clamp and other biophysical techniques. In the nerve terminals of the posterior pituitary we measure ionic currents and membrane capacitance to study the release process and the ion channels that regulate the entry of calcium. In PC12 cells we use amperometry to measure catecholamine release and analyze the properties of the fusion pore. Molecular manipulations of the exocytotic apparatus are undertaken to relate protein structure to the mechanisms of exocytosis. Another project underway involves the use of voltage sensitive dyes to image electrical activity in functional neural circuits. The information about circuit behavior obtained by this approach will be integrated with a detailed understanding of synaptic transmission to gain insight into the complex processing capabilities of intact nervous systems. Voltage imaging is being applied to slices of the hippocampus to explore spatial variations in long-term synaptic plasticity evoked by different stimulus protocols.

Selected Publications:

• Dean, C., H. Liu, F.M. Dunning, P.Y. Chang, M.B. Jackson, and E.R. Chapman. 2009. Synaptotagmin-IV Modulates Synaptic Function and LTP by Regulating BDNF Release. Nat. Neurosci. 12: 767-776. [PDF]
• Fontanilla, D., M. Johannessen, A.R. Hajipour, N.V. Cozzi, M.B. Jackson, and A.E. Ruoho. 2009. The hallucinogen N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an Endogenous Sigma-1 Receptor Regulator. Science 323: 934-7. [PDF]
• Zhang, Z., A. Bhalla, C. Dean, E.R. Chapman, and M.B. Jackson. 2009. Synaptotagmin IV: A Multifunctional Regulator of Peptidergic Nerve Terminals. Nat. Neurosci. 12: 163-172. [PDF]
• Muroi, Y., C.M. Theusch, C. Czajkowski, and M.B. Jackson. 2009. Distinct structural changes in the GABAA receptor elicited by pentobarbital and GABA. Biophys. J. 96: 499-509. [PDF]
• Jackson, M. B. and E.R. Chapman. 2008. The fusion pores of Ca2+-triggered exocytosis. Nature Structure and Molecular Biology. 15: 684-9.
• Zhang, Z. and M.B. Jackson. 2008. Temperature dependence of fusion kinetics and fusion pores in Ca2+-triggered exocytosis from PC12 cells. J. Gen. Physiol. 131: 117-124. [PDF]
• Chang, P. Y., P.E. Taylor, and M.B. Jackson. 2007. Voltage Imaging Reveals the CA1 Region at the CA2 Border as a Focus for Epileptiform Discharges and Long-Term Potentiation in Hippocampal Slices. J. Neurophysiol. 98: 1309-1322. [PDF]
• Zhang, Z., V. Klyachko, and M.B. Jackson. 2007. Blockade of phosphodiesterase type 5 enhances rat neurohypophysial excitability and electrically-evoked oxytocin release. J. Physiol. 485.1: 137-147. [PDF]
• Jackson, M. B. 2007. In search of the fusion pore of exocytosis. Biophys. Chem. 126: 201-208. [PDF]
• Chang, P. Y. and M.B. Jackson. 2006. Heterogeneous Spatial Patterns of Long-Term Potentiation in Hippocampal Slices. J. Physiol. 576: 427-443. [PDF]
• Muroi, Y., C. Czajkowski, and M.B. Jackson. 2006. Local and global ligand-induced changes in the structure of the GABAA receptor. Biochem. 45: 7013-7022. [PDF]
• Jackson, M. B. and E.R. Chapman. 2006. Fusion pores and fusion machines in Ca2+-triggered exocytosis. Ann. Rev. Biophys and Biomol. Struct. 35: 135-160. [PDF]
• Wang, C.-T., J. Bai, P.Y. Chang, E.R. Chapman, and M.B. Jackson. 2006. Synaptotagmin•Ca2+ Triggers Two Sequential steps in regulated exocytosis in rat PC12 cells: Fusion pore opening and fusion pore dilation. J. Physiol. 570.2: 295-307. [PDF]