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FRISC: The Faculty Research Interests Science Comparator |
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Assistant Professor of Neurology
Cell Regulation
Office: (214) 648-6409
FAX: (214) 648-6320
Email: rdiaza@mednet.swmed.edu
Our laboratory is interested in the mechanisms by which lipid second
messengers, such as arachidonic acid, prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and platelet
activating factor are produced in neural tissues during synaptic plasticity and in
response to excitotoxic insults. The long-term goal of this work is to understand at the
molecular level the enzymes involved in producing these important mediators, and how they
are regulated during normal and pathologic synaptic activity.
We are currently studying three phospholipase A2 (PLA2) genes for their
expression in the CNS and their regulation in neural cells: (1) a Ca2+-dependent,
arachidonate-selective PLA2 (cPLA2), which is expressed at very low levels in normal brain
but is induced in astrocytes after acute of chronic neuropathologic insults, such as
ischemia, convulsions, infections, or Alzheimer's disease; (2) a Ca2+-independent lipase
with relatively little substrate specificity, which is
constitutively expressed in neurons, and plays a role in evoked release
of neurotransmitters; and (3) a Ca2+-independent PLA2 selective for plasmenyl
phospholipids and which is expressed in neurons and activated after neuronal injury.
Selected Publications:
Ma L, Welch E, Jones S, Diaz-Arrastia R (1997) Ca2+-independent PLA2
(iPLA2) is the major PLA2 isoform in neurons. Molecular Brain Research (in
press)
Ma L, Welch E, Bednar M, Diaz-Arrastia R (1997) Induction of
Ca2+-dependent, arachidonate-specific PLA2 (cPLA2) in astrocytes after kainic acid-induced
convulsions. Molecular and Chemical Neuropathology (in press )
Page maintained by Stephanie Robertson
Last Updated: 17 Nov 2000
Extraction Method: Expand using Medical Synonyms-
Eliminated words list: MedlinePlus List
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Database: Medline abstracts (1967 - Present)
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