NCB - The Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology

Ok-Ho Shin, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

• Affiliation:
  Neuroscience and Cell Biology
• Route: 1069, 2.138F Medical Research Building
• Tel: (409) 772-1188
• Fax: (409) 762-9382
• okshin@utmb.edu
• Shin Lab Webpage
• Dr. Shin's Publications
• Shin CV

Ok-Ho Shin, Ph.D.

Education

08/1992 - 12/1996    PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
03/1987 - 02/1989    MS, Seoul National University, Korea
03/1983 - 02/1987    BS, Seoul National University, Korea

Research Interests

We study Ca²⁺-regulated exocytosis, and our current focus is the sympathetic nervous system that regulates norepinephrine release in the heart.

Our ongoing research projects include 1) modification of Ca²⁺ sensor in the paravertebral ganglia; 2) identification of Ca²⁺ sensors and SNAREs that mediate norepinephrine release in the cardiac sympathetic nerve terminals; and 3) role of membrane lipids in the regulation of Ca²⁺ sensors.

We identify the responsible proteins/molecules that regulate neurotransmitter release by employing biochemical and molecular biological tools, and then study their functions using animal models.

Publications (recent 5 years)

Shih AM, Shin OH (2011) Interactions among the SNARE proteins and complexin analyzed by a yeast four-hybrid assay. Anal. Biochem.416, 107-111.

Xue M, Craig TK, Shin OH, Yi L, Brautigam CA Tomchick DR, Südhof TC, Rosenmund C, Rizo J (2010) Structural and mutational analysis of functional differentiation between synaptotagmins-1 and -7. PLoS One 5, e12544.

Shin OH, Lu J, Rhee JS, Tomchick DR, Pang ZP, Wojcik S, Camacho-Perez M, Brose N, Machius M, Rizo J, Rosenmund C, Südhof TC (2010) Munc13 C₂B domain is an activity-dependent Ca²⁺ regulator of synaptic exocytosis. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 17, 280-288.

Shin OH, Xu J, Rizo J, Südhof TC (2009) Differential but convergent functions of Ca²⁺-binding to synaptotagmin-1 C₂-domains mediate neurotransmitter release. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106, 16469-16474.

Xu J, Pang ZP, Shin OH, Südhof TC (2009) Synaptotagmin-1 functions as a Ca²⁺-sensor for spontaneous release. Nat. Neurosci. 12, 759-766.

Maximov A, Shin OH, Lui X, Südhof TC (2007) Synaptotagmin-12, a synaptic vesicle phosphoprotein that modulates spontaneous neurotransmitter release. J. Cell Biol. 176, 113-124.

Pang ZP, Shin OH, Meyer AC, Rosenmund C, Südhof TC (2006) A gain-of-function mutation in synaptotagmin-1 reveals a critical role of Ca²⁺-dependent soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor complex binding in synaptic exocytosis. J. Neurosci. 26, 12556-12565.

Tang J, Maximov A, Shin OH, Dai H, Rizo J, Südhof TC (2006) A complexin/synaptotagmin-1 switch controls fast synaptic vesicle exocytosis. Cell 126, 1175-1187.

Deak F, Shin OH, Kavalali ET, Sdhof TC (2006) Structural determinants of synaptobrevin 2 function in synaptic vesicle fusion. J. Neurosci. 26, 6668-6676.

Deak F, Shin OH, Tang J, Hanson P, Ubach J, Jahn R, Rizo J, Kavalali ET, Südhof TC (2006) Rabphilin regulates SNARE-dependent re-priming of synaptic vesicles for fusion. EMBO J. 25, 2856-2866.

Li LY, Shin OH, Rhee JS, Arac D, Rah JC, Rizo J, Südhof TC, Rosenmund C (2006) Phosphatidylinositolphosphates as coactivators of Ca²⁺-binding to C₂-domains of synaptotagmin 1. J. Biol. Chem. 281, 15845-15852.