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| Name: | P. Michael Michael Iuvone |
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| Position: |
Professor of Ophthalmology Professor of Pharmacology |
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| Degree: |
Ph.D., University of Florida, 1976 |
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| Programs: |
MSP,
Full Member NS, Full Member |
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| Phone: | 404 727-5989 | |
| Address: | 5107 Rollins Research Center, 1510 Clifton Rd, 1940/001/1AF | |
| Email: | miuvone@pharm.emory.edu | |
| Research Descriptions: | ||
| Short: | Circadian rhythms, signal transduction and neuromodulators in the retina. | |
| Long: | Neurotransmitters, neuromodulators and hormones are three major classes of compounds responsible for intercellular communication in vertebrates. The general research interest of my laboratory is in the molecular, cellular and pharmacological regulation of these compounds. Currently, we are studying the regulation of melatonin and catecholamine systems in the retina, the brain, and the pineal gland. Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland and also functions as a retinal neuromodulator, synthesized in photoreceptors. Dopamine functions as both a neurotransmitter and a nueromodulator in the retina and the brain. In my laboratory, cell culture, tissue culture, and neurochemical methodologies are used to investigate the cellular mechanisms for regulating the synthesis, release and actions of these compounds, with specific interests in receptors, second messengers, enzyme regulation and gene expression. Other projects include regulation of circadian rhythms and circadian clock-controlled genes in the retina and pineal gland, studies of calcium homeostasis in photoreceptor cells and the role of calcium in the regulation of gene expression and glutamate release, and the molecular determinants of postnatal ocular growth with particular emphasis on establishing therapeutic strategies for the treatment of progressive juvenile myopia. | |