UCLA Neuroscience Program Ph.D. Admissions Neuroscience Faculty UCLA and Beyond  



Cameron Gundersen
Neurotransmitter Release and Regulated Secretion

Email Address:  cgundersen@mednet.ucla.edu

Office Address:
Crump Institute
Work Address:
Lewis/Crump Bldg
Phone Numbers:
(310) 825-6639 Laboratory
310-825-3423 Office

Selected Publications:

Mischel,PS, Umbach, JA, Eskandari,S, Smith, SG, Gundersen, CB, Zampighi, GA Nerve growth factor signals via pre-existing TrkA receptor monomers.. Biophysical Journal 2002; 83: .
Gundersen, CB, Kohan, SA, ChenQ, Iagnemma,J, Umbach, JA Protein kinase C eta triggers cortical granule exocytosis in Xenopus oocytes.. Journal of Cell Science 2002; 115: 1313-1320.
Mastrogiacomo,A, Kornblum,HI, Umbach,JA & Gundersen, CB A Xenopus cysteine string protein with a cysteine residue in the J-domain.. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1998; 1401: 239-241.
Gundersen, C.B. and J.A. Umbach Suppression cloning of the cDNA for a candidate subunit of a presynaptic calcium channel.. Neuron 1992; 9: 527-537.
Cordeiro, ML Gundersen, CB Umbach, JA Convergent effects of lithium and valproate on the expression of proteins associated with large dense core vesicles in NGF-differentiated PC12 cells.. Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. . 2004; 29(1): 39-44.
Kohan, SA Gundersen, CB Protein synthesis is required for the transition to Ca(2+)-dependent regulated secretion in progesterone-matured Xenopus oocytes.. Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Comparative experimental biology. . 2003; 300(2): 113-25.
Cordeiro, ML Gundersen, CB Umbach, JA Dietary lithium induces regional increases of mRNA encoding cysteine string protein in rat brain.. Journal of neuroscience research. . 2003; 73(6): 865-9.
Cordeiro, ML Gundersen, CB Umbach, JA Lithium ions modulate the expression of VMAT2 in rat brain.. Brain research. . 2002; 953(1-2): 189-94.
Saitoe, M Schwarz, TL Umbach, JA Gundersen, CB Kidokoro, Y Absence of junctional glutamate receptor clusters in Drosophila mutants lacking spontaneous transmitter release.. Science. . 2001; 293(5529): 514-7.
Gundersen, CB Aguado, F Sou, S Mastrogiacomo, A Coppola, T Kornblum, HI Umbach, JA Cysteine string proteins are associated with cortical granules of Xenopus laevis oocytes.. Cell and tissue research. . 2001; 303(2): 211-9.
Cordeiro, ML Umbach, JA Gundersen, CB Lithium ions Up-regulate mRNAs encoding dense-core vesicle proteins in nerve growth factor-differentiated PC12 cells.. Journal of neurochemistry. . 2000; 75(6): 2622-5.
Cordeiro, ML Umbach, JA Gundersen, CB Lithium ions enhance cysteine string protein gene expression in vivo and in vitro.. Journal of neurochemistry. . 2000; 74(6): 2365-72.
Poage, RE Meriney, SD Gundersen, CB Umbach, JA Antibodies against cysteine string proteins inhibit evoked neurotransmitter release at Xenopus neuromuscular junctions.. Journal of neurophysiology. . 1999; 82(1): 50-9.
Whitelegge, JP Gundersen, CB Faull, KF Electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry of intact intrinsic membrane proteins.. Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society. . 1998; 7(6): 1423-30.
Umbach, JA Saitoe, M Kidokoro, Y Gundersen, CB Attenuated influx of calcium ions at nerve endings of csp and shibire mutant Drosophila.. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. . 1998; 18(9): 3233-40.
Umbach, JA Gundersen, CB Evidence that cysteine string proteins regulate an early step in the Ca2+-dependent secretion of neurotransmitter at Drosophila neuromuscular junctions.. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. . 1997; 17(19): 7203-9.
Coppola, T Gundersen, C Widespread expression of human cysteine string proteins.. FEBS letters. . 1996; 391(3): 269-72.
Kohan, SA Pescatori, M Brecha, NC Mastrogiacomo, A Umbach, JA Gundersen, CB Cysteine string protein immunoreactivity in the nervous system and adrenal gland of rat.. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. . 1995; 15(9): 6230-8.
Gundersen, CB Mastrogiacomo, A Umbach, JA Cysteine-string proteins as templates for membrane fusion: models of synaptic vesicle exocytosis.. Journal of theoretical biology. . 1995; 172(3): 269-77.
Mastrogiacomo, A Gundersen, CB The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence of a rat cysteine string protein.. Brain research. Molecular brain research. . 1995; 28(1): 12-8.
Umbach, JA Zinsmaier, KE Eberle, KK Buchner, E Benzer, S Gundersen, CB Presynaptic dysfunction in Drosophila csp mutants.. Neuron. . 1994; 13(4): 899-907.
Gundersen, CB Mastrogiacomo, A Faull, K Umbach, JA Extensive lipidation of a Torpedo cysteine string protein.. The Journal of biological chemistry. . 1994; 269(30): 19197-9.
Mastrogiacomo, A Parsons, SM Zampighi, GA Jenden, DJ Umbach, JA Gundersen, CB Cysteine string proteins: a potential link between synaptic vesicles and presynaptic Ca2+ channels.. Science. . 1994; 263(5149): 981-2.
Research Interest:

The principal focus of our research is to understand the mechanism of transmitter release at nerve endings. Currently, we are studying the structure and function of presynaptic calcium channels, and of other polypeptides that interact with these channels. The rationale for this approach is that the secretory apparatus must be very tightly coupled with the calcium channels that trigger release of transmitter. Thus, those proteins that interact with presynaptic calcium channels are likely to be involved in mediating and regulating release. This laboratory employs a variety of techniques in cellular and molecular biology. Our approaches range from cDNA sequencing and control of gene expression to protein biochemistry and electrophysiology. For instance, we are now characterizing a cysteine string protein (csp) that is an essential modulator of presynaptic calcium channels. We are using antibodies to purify this protein (and localize it in cells at the light microscope and EM levels), and electrophysiology to understand the molecular mechanism by which it controls presynaptic calcium channels. Moreover, we are collaborating with a group that has isolated the Drosophila csp, and we are studying the consequences of mutation at the csp locus in Drosophila. Our most exciting recent findings are that csps are heavily fatty acylated and that they are localized to synaptic vesicles. These results suggest that one of the terminal steps in the assembly of a site that is competent to release transmitter is the association of vesicular csps with calcium channels in the presynaptic plasma membrane. Thus, csps play a prominent role in priming the transmitter release cascade.