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Faculty Detail     Name KENT T KEYSER   Campus Address WORB 626 Zip 4390 Phone 205-975-7225 E-mail ktkeyser@uab.edu Other websites www.vsrc.ua.edu

Faculty Appointment(s) Appointment Type Department Division Rank Secondary  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology  Cell, Developmntl, & Integrative Biology Professor Secondary  Neurobiology  Neurobiology Professor Center  Arthritis & Musculoskeletal Diseases Center  Arthritis & Musculoskeletal Diseases Center Center  Pathology   Cell Adhesion & Matrix Research Center Center  Civitan International Research Center  Civitan International Research Center Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center Center  General Clinical Research Center  Ctr for Clinical & Translational Sci Center  Medicine  Nephrology Res & Trng Ctr Center  General Clinical Research Center  Minority Health & Research Center

Graduate Biomedical Sciences Affiliations Cellular and Molecular Biology Program  Integrative Biomedical Sciences  Medical Scientist Training Program  Neuroscience Graduate Program  Neurosciences

Biographical Sketch  Kent T. Keyser, Professor of Physiological Optics and Director of the Vision Science Research Center. He earned a B.A. (1972) in Biology from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. (1980) in Neurobiology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Prior to joining the UAB faculty in 1995, Dr. Keyser was an Associate Research Neuroscientist in the Department of Neurosciences, UCSD. He enjoys literature, skiing and films.

Research/Clinical Interest Title Acetylcholine and Ach receptors Description Dr. Keyser's research interests center on acetylcholine (Ach) and Ach receptor expression in the retina. Acetylcholine is used as a transmitter in many portions of the vertebrate nervous system and much information is available concerning the cells that contain it and its synthesis and release mechanisms. However, until recently little was known about Ach receptors and the neurons that express them. During the past several years various groups have 1) purified the ligand-binding (a) and structural (b) subunits of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), 2) cloned their cDNAs, and 3) raised antibodies against them. These studies have revealed that there are at least 11 different subunits which, in various combinations, can theoretically yield a vast number of nAChR subtypes, each characterized by a unique subunit composition and pharmacological profile. Therefore, the effects of Ach or its agonists depends upon which receptor subtype is present. Acetylcholine is known to act as a transmitter in the retina and to affect the response properties of many ganglion cells, including those that display directional selectivity. These receptors appear to be present at both synaptic and extra synaptic locations. Dr. Keyser’s research program involves the investigation of the normal pattern of expression of nAChRs in the retina during embryogenesis and in the adult animal, with the goal of understanding how activation of Ach receptor subtypes modulates visual processing. Another aspect of the research involves the detection of additional receptor subunits/subtypes and the determination of what receptor subunits are found together within individual receptor complexes. Among his long term goals are studies of the factors that regulate expression of different Ach receptor subtypes in various areas of the nervous system.

Selected Publications  Publication PUBMEDID Cimini BA, Strang CE, Wotring VE, Keyser KT and Eldred WD. Role of acetylcholine in nitric oxide production in the salamander retina. J Comp Neurol 507: 1952-1963, 2008.  18273886  Dmitriev AV, Dmitrieva NA, Keyser KT and Mangel SC. Multiple functions of cation-chloride cotransporters in the fish retina. Vis Neurosci 24: 635-645, 2007.  17900379  Renna JM, Strang CE, Amthor FR and Keyser KT. Strychnine, but not PMBA, inhibits neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors expressed by rabbit retinal ganglion cells. Vis Neurosci 24: 503-511, 2007.  17900376  Strang CE, Renna JM, Amthor FR and Keyser KT. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor expression by directionally selective ganglion cells. Vis Neurosci 24: 523-533, 2007.  17686198  Ding C, Walcott B and Keyser KT . The alpha1- and beta1-adrenergic modulation of lacrimal gland function in the mouse. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 48: 1504-1510, 2007.  17389478  Dmitrieva NA, Strang CE and Keyser KT. Expression of alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors by bipolar, amacrine, and ganglion cells of the rabbit retina. J Histochem Cytochem 55: 461-476, 2007.  17189521

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