Research Interests:
A basic issue in neuroscience research is concerned with understanding the mechanisms by which neurons control transmitter synthesis and release in response to environmental and physiologic stressors. In cells that synthesize and release the catecholamine neurtransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine, the level of these neurotransmitters is controlled primarily through the regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), which catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step in catecholamine production. Persistant stressors that cause a prolonged release of catecholamines result in an increase in the expression of TH. This laboratory has been using primary cultures of adrenal chromaffin cells, which are catecholamine secretory cells of the adrenal medulla and equivalent in many respects to postganglionic sympathetic neurons, as an in vitro model system to study the processes involved in the alterations in TH level. Our findings provided the first evidence that elevated TH protein level occurs primarily post-transcriptionally via alterations in the stability of TH mRNA. The mechanism by which this occurs is currently being investigated. We have also been exploring another novel finding, namely that TH protein turnover is differentially controlled under basal conditions and under conditions in which TH level is increased. Taken together, our research could ultimately provide clues to more effective strategies for controlling various conditions, such as hypertension and neuropsychiatric illnesses, in which catecholamines have been implicated. 

Another focus of work in this laboratory is to use primary cultures of adrenal chromaffin cells to understand basic mechanisms by which short- and long-term magnetic field and radiofrequency exposure of neural-type cells alters neurotransmitter synthesis and release. The goal of this research is to facilitate the design of non-invasive therapeutic strategies for treating various types of brain disorders.

Selected Publications:

Fernandez, E. and Craviso, G.L., Protein synthesis blockade differentially affects the degradation of constitutive and nicotinic receptor-induced tyrosine hydroxylase protein level in isolated chromaffin cells.  J. Neurochem. 73: 169-178, 1999.

Publicover, N.G., Marsh, C.G., Vincze, C.A., Craviso, G.L. and Chatterjee, I., Effects of microscope objectives on magnetic fields. Bioelectromagnetics 20:387-395, 1999.

Chatterjee, I., Hassan, N., Craviso, G.L. and Publicover, N.G.,  Numerical computation of distortions produced by microsope objectives in magnetic fields and induced currents. Bioelectromagnetics 22:463-469, 2001.

Craviso, G.L., Poss, J., Lanctot, C., Lundback, S.S., Chatterjee, I. and Publicover, N.G., Intracellular calcium activity in isolated bovine adrenal chromaffin cells in the presence and absence of 60-Hz magnetic fields. (submitted to Bioelectromagnetics).

Hassan, H., Chatterjee, I., Publicover, N.G. and Craviso, G.L., Mapping membrane potential perturbations of chromaffin cells exposed to electric fields. (submitted to IEEE Transactions)

Roe, D., Craviso, G.L. and Waymire, J.C., Tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA is stabilized by cholinergic agonists in bovine chromaffin cells. (submitted to J. Biol. Chem.). 

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