KRISTEN M.S. O'CONNELL, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Physiology

The University of Tennessee College of Medicine

Address

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

894 Union Avenue

Memphis, TN 38163

Tel: (901) 448-2648;

Lab: 407 Nash Building

Education

Ph.D. Institution: The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY

Postdoctoral: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

Research Interests

Cellular electrical activity is critically dependent upon the activity of a group of proteins called ion channels. The regulation of excitability is dependent on not only the intrinsic biophysical properties of these channels but also on their number and localization. My laboratory is interested in the targeting and localization of one subtype of ion channels, voltage-gated K+ (Kv) channels. Kv channels are possibly the most diverse family of ion channels, which allows for very precise regulation of excitability. Most cells express multiple isoforms of Kv channels, with each type targeted to a different part of the cell – for example, Kv1.4 channels are localized to the axon, Kv2.1 channels are found only on the cell body and Kv4.2 channels are targeted to the dendritic arbor.

Our current focus is on understanding the mechanisms that underlie the specific distribution of these Kv channels and how channel localization affects electrical signaling. We use an interdisciplinary approach to address these questions in acutely dissociated cells as well as primary neuronal cultures. Techniques we use include electrophysiology, single molecule imaging, live cell fluorescence imaging, immunocytochemistry, protein biochemistry, molecular biology and transgenic mice.

Links

Physiology - Kristen O'Connell

Recent Publications

• O'Connell KM, Whitesell JD, Tamkun MM. Localization and mobility of the delayed-rectifer K+ channel Kv2.1 in adult cardiomyocytes. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2008 Jan;294(1):H229-37. Epub 2007 Oct 26. PMID: 17965280
• Tamkun MM, O'connell KM, Rolig AS. A cytoskeletal-based perimeter fence selectively corrals a sub-population of cell surface Kv2.1 channels. J Cell Sci. 2007 Jul 15;120(Pt 14):2413-23. PMID: 17606996
• O'Connell KM, Rolig AS, Whitesell JD, Tamkun MM. Kv2.1 potassium channels are retained within dynamic cell surface microdomains that are defined by a perimeter fence. J Neurosci. 2006 Sep 20;26(38):9609-18. PMID: 16988031
• O'Connell KM, Tamkun MM. Targeting of voltage-gated potassium channel isoforms to distinct cell surface microdomains. J Cell Sci. 2005 May 15;118(Pt 10):2155-66. Epub 2005 Apr 26. PMID: 15855232
• O'Connell KM, Martens JR, Tamkun MM. Localization of ion channels to lipid Raft domains within the cardiovascular system. Trends Cardiovasc Med. 2004 Feb;14(2):37-42. Review. PMID: 15030787

view complete list of references (pubmed link)