SOONG Tuck Wah PhD Head & Principal Investigator Ion Channel & Transporter Laboratory National Neuroscience Institute 11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng Singapore 308433 Tel: (65) 6357-7611 (65) 6357-7615 Fax: (65) 6256-9178 E-mails: tuck_wah_soong@nni.com.sg phsstw@nus.edu.sg

RESEARCH AREAS

• Functional characterisation of voltage-gated calcium channel splice variants
• Investigations of genetic associations of calcium channel disorders
• Search for novel ligands to calcium channel complexes
• Determination of the role of iron in Parkinson Disease

BIOGRAPHY

• PhD, Molecular Immunology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, National University of Singapore, 1992
• BSc(Hons), Microbiology, National University of Singapore, 1983
  

AWARDS

• NMRC Medical Research Scientist Award, 1999-2000
• IMCB Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1992-1995
  

JOINT APPOINTMENT

• Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Physiology, NUS
• Research Associate, Department of Biomedical Engineering, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
  

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• TW Soong, A Stea, CD Hodson, SJ Dubel, SR Vincent, and TP Snutch.
  
  Structure and Functional Expression of a Member of the Low Voltage-activated Calcium Channel Family
  
  Science, USA, (1993) 260: 1133-1136
  
  
• A Stea, TW Soong, and TP Snutch.
  
  Determination of PKC-dependent modulation of a family of neuronal calcium channels.
  
  Neuron, U.S.A., Oct (1995),15: 929-940.
  
  
• E Bourinet*, TW Soong*, K Sutton, S Slaymaker, E Mathews, A Monteil, GW Zamponi, J Nargoet, and TP Snutch.
  
  Splicing of 1A subunit gene generates phenotypic variants of P- and Q-type calcium channels.
  
  Nature. Neurosci. (1999) 2: 407-415
  *joint first authors
  
  
• L Zhang, T Lee, Y Wang, and TW Soong
  
  Heterologous expression, functional characterization and localization of two isoforms of monkey iron transporter.
  
  Biochemical Journal 2000; 349: 289-297.
  
  
• CD DeMaria, TW Soong, BA Alseikhan, RS Alvania, and DT Yue
  
  Calmodulin bifurcates the local Ca2+ signal that modulates P/Q-type Ca2+ channels
  
  Nature (2001) 411: 484 -489.
  

RESEARCH SYNOPSIS & ONGOING PROJECTS

• Functional characterisation of voltage-gated calcium channel splice variants
  
  Voltage-gated calcium channels are hetero-oligomeric transmembrane protein complexes that play a role in neurotransmitter release, muscle contraction, hormone secretion and gene expression. Systematic determination of alternative splice forms of the human P/Q-type and L-type voltage gated calcium channels revealed a potentially rich source of functional diversity. Investigations of the electrophysiological and pharmacological properties of these variants will add to our understanding of the fine-tuning of activity-dependent performances of these channels
  • Transcript-scanning to determine the loci for alternative splicing
  • Functional characterisation of the splice variants
    
    
• Investigations of genetic associations of calcium channel/ion channel disorders
  
  Mutations in some of the voltage-gated calcium channel subunit genes have been shown to be associated with hypokalemic periodic paralysis, familial hemiplegic migraine, episodic ataxia, spinocerebellar ataxia and congenital stationary night blindness in human. We are interested to search for mutations in the P/Q-type calcium channel in Asiatic populations to further understand the disease pathophysiology. Work has begun to identify the genetic basis for thyrotoxic periodic paralysis, a disorder that is prevalent among Asian males.
  • Mutational screening of calcium channels and various ion channels
  • DNA sequencing to identify the mutations
  • Characterisation of mutant ion channels
    
    
• Search for novel ligands to calcium channel complexes
  
  Various toxins from cone snails, spiders and scorpions bind specifically to a number of calcium channels. The search for new and specifc ligands for calcium channel proteins can have both scientific and therapeutic relevance.
  • Search for new specific toxins or ligands by electrophysiological method
    
    
• Role of iron in Parkinson Disease
  
  The overload of iron in the neurons in the substantia nigra (SNc) has been implicated in cell death leading possibly to the pathogenesis of the disease in animal models. We have cloned and characterised the iron transporter gene from monkey. However the role of this transporter in the uptake of iron and the subsequent consequences of the increased iron load in the SNc neurons is still largely unknown.
  • To determine the function of the iron transporter in cultured primary dopaminergic neurons
  • To use a viral delivery method to introduce the iron transporter gene into the SNc of rat to understand the mechanisms of neuronal cell death in vivo
    

TEAM MEMBERS

Core members

• A/Prof Soong Tuck Wah (Head & Principal Investigator)
• Dr Chang Siao Yun
• Dr Philip Tsang
• Dr Liao Ping
• Dr Lu Songqing
• Gregory Tan
• Yong Tan Fong
• Jonathan Lee
• Liew Chong Wee
• Tang Zhenzhi
• Wang Jing
  
  Laboratory telephone number: (65) 6357-7615

COLLABORATORS

Singapore

• Dr Lai Poh San, Senior Research Scientist, Department of Paediatrics, National University of Singapore
• Dr Daphne Khoo, Senior Consultant, Department of Endocrinology, Singapore General Hospital
• Dr Peter Eng, Consultant, Department of Endocrinology, Singapore General Hospital
  

USA

• Prof David Yue, Department of Biomedical Engineering, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Prof David Linden, Department of Neuroscience, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Germany

• Prof Dietmar Richter, University of Hamburg-Eppendorf