Gary Rudnick

BIOGRAPHY

ACADEMIC POSITION:
Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Yale University

EDUCATION:
• 1968 BS Chemistry, Antioch College
• 1974 PhD Biochemistry, Brandeis University
• Postdoctoral training with HR Kaback at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology

AWARDS:
• American Heart Association Established Investigator
• 1995-2004 Editorial Advisory Board Member, Biochemistry
• 2004-present Editorial Board, Journal of Biological Chemistry

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Our research concerns the proteins involved in neurotransmitter recycling responsible for the reuptake of serotonin and other biogenic amines. We are interested in how the structure of these proteins determines their ability to couple ion gradients to substrate transport. The transporters are responsible for the process that terminates the action of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine released into the synaptic cleft. They are targets for antidepressant drugs like fluoxetine (Prozac) and for stimulants such as cocaine and amphetamines, such as MDMA (ecstasy). Current efforts in the laboratory include the identification of the pathway by which serotonin passes through the membrane, including residues that are involved in substrate and inhibitor binding and those involved in conformational changes that accompany transport. We are also studying the regulation of serotonin transporter activity by phosphorylation, and we are investigating bacterial homologues of the neurotransmitter transporter family for insights into the structure of these proteins.

HOME PAGE
http://medicine.yale.edu/pharm/people/gary_rudnick.profile