Neuroscience at The University of Chicago

Research Interests

My academic interests are the scientific and clinical aspects of neurodegenerative diseases associated with abnormal movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). My primary research focus is on the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie these disorders and devising rational therapeutic approaches through laboratory investigation.   We are interested in understanding basal ganglia plasticity that underlie dopaminergic therapy and its complications such as dyskinesia.  Another area of interest is mechanism of neurodegeneration in genetic PD such as PINK1 and DJ-1 mutation associated recessive forms.

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Select Publications

Mechanisms of Dopaminergic Therapy in PD:

Ding Y, Won L, Britt JP, Lim SAO, McGehee DS, Kang UJ. Enhanced striatal cholinergic neuronal activity mediates L-DOPA induced dyskinesia in parkinsonian mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Dec 27.

Beeler JA, Cao ZFH, Kheribek MA, Ding Y, Koranda J, Murakami M, Kang UJ, Zhuang X. Dopamine-dependent motor learning: insight into levodopa’s long duration response. Ann Neurol 2010;67:639-647.

Ding Y, Restrepo J, Won L, Hwang D-Y, Kim K-S, Kang UJ. Chronic 3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine treatment induces dyskinesia in aphakia mice, a novel genetic model of Parkinson's Disease. Neurobiology of Disease 2007; 27:11-23.

Hwang D-Y, Ardayfio P, Kang UJ, Semina EV, Kim K-S. A selective loss of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the Ptx3-mutated aphakia mice. Brain Res Mol Brain Res. 2003; 114(2):123-31.

Chang JW, Wachtel SR, Young D, Kang UJ. Biochemical and anatomical characterization of forepaw adjusting steps in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease: studies on medial forebrain bundle and striatal lesions. Neuroscience 1999; 88:617-628.

Lee EA, Kim YS, Lee WY, Kang UJ. The effects of chronic L-DOPA therapy on pharmacodynamic parameters in a rat model of motor response fluctuations. Exp Neurol 2003; 184(1):304-12.

Meredith GE, Kang UJ. Behavioral models of Parkinson's disease in rodents: A new look at an old problem. Mov Disord 2006; 21(10):1595-606.

Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration in PD:

Lin W, Kang UJ. Structural determinant of PINK1 topology and dual subcellular distribution. BMC Cell Biology 2010:11;90

Lin W, Kang UJ. Characterization of PINK1 processing, stability, and subcellular localization. J Neurochem 2008 ;106 (1):464-74

Yang W, Chen L, Ding Y, Zhuang X, Kang UJ. Paraquat induces dopaminergic dysfunction and proteasome impairment in DJ-1-deficient mice. Human Mol Genet 2007; 16:2900-2910.

Chen L, Cagniard B, Mathews T, Jones S, Koh HC, Carvey PM, Ling Z, Kang UJ, Zhuang X. Dopaminergic dysfunction and age-dependent motor deficits in DJ-1 null mice. J Biol Chem 2005; 280(22):21418-26.

Chen L, Ding Y, Cagniard B, Van Laar A, Mortimer A, Chi W, Tian N, Hastings, Kang UJ, Zhuang X. Unregulated increase of cytosolic dopamine causes neurodegeneration in mice. J Neurosci 2008; 28:425-433.

Kweon GR, Marks JD, Krencik R, Leung EH, Hyland K, Schumacker PT, Kang UJ. Distinct mechanisms of neurodegeneration induced by chronic complex I inhibition in dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic cells. J Biol Chem 2004; 279(50):51783-5179.

Nakamura K, Bindokas V, Elas M, Milstien S, Kowlessur D, Marks J, Halpern H, Kang UJ. Tetrahydrobiopterin scavenges superoxide in dopaminergic neurons. J Biol Chem 2001 276(37):34402-7.

Biomarkers in PD:

Shi M, Bradner J, Hancock AM, Chung KA, Quinn JF, Peskind ER, Galasko D Jankovic J, Zabetian CP, Kim HM, Leverenz JB, Montine TJ, Ginghina C, Kang UJ, Cain KC, Aasly J, Goldstein DS, Zhang J. Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease biomarkers and progression. Ann Neurol (in press)

Hong Z, Shi M, Chung KA, Quinn JF, Peskind ER, Galasko D, Jankovic J, Zabetian AP, Leverenz JB, Baird G, Montine TJ, Hancock AM, Hwang H, Pan C, Bradner J, Kang UJ, Jensen PH, Zhang Z. DJ-1 and a-synuclein in human cerebrospinal fluid as biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease. Brain 2010;133(Pt 3):713-26. PMID: 20157014

Kang UJ. Guest Editor, Biomarkers in Neuropsychiatric Diseases. Neurobiology of Disease Special Issue 2009;35(2):115-6. PMID: 19464368

Potashkin JA, Kang UJ, Loomis, PA, Jodelka, FD, Ding Y, Meredith GE. MPTP administration in mice changes the ratio of splice isoforms of fosB and rgs9. Brain Res 2007; 1182:1-10

(See Lab Website for PDF files.)