Research Interests:

Discovery and functional characterisation of novel voltage-gated calcium channel splice variants

Discovery and evaluation of role of adaptor proteins in calcium channel function

Regulation of calcium channel function and determination of alternative splicing mechanisms

Investigations of physiological role of calcium channel splice variation in knock-out mouse

Role of iron transporter in neuronal function: implications in Parkinson's Disease

Academic Background:

Ph.D., Molecular Immunology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, NUS, 1992

B.Sc. (Hons), Microbiology, National University of Singapore, 1983

Selected Publications:

Soong TW and Venkatesh B. Adaptive evolution of tetrodotoxin resistance in animals Trends Genet. 2006 Nov;22(11):621-6.

Y Shen, D Yu, H Hiel, P Liao, DT Yue , PA Fuchs, and TW Soong. Alternative splicing of the Ca(v)1.3 channel IQ domain, a molecular switch for Ca2+-dependent inactivation within auditory hair cells. J Neurosci. 2006 Oct 18;26(42):10690-9.

Venkatesh B, Lu SQ, Dandona N, See SL, Brenner S, Soong TW. Genetic basis of tetrodotoxin resistance in pufferfishes. Curr Biol. 2005 Nov 22;15(22):2069-72.

Liao P.Yu D, Lu SQ, Tang ZZ, Liang MC, Zeng S, Lim W, and Soong TW. Smooth muscle selective alternatively spliced exon generates functional variation in Ca v1.2 calcium channels. J. Biol Chem , 2004, 48:50329-5033

Tang ZZ, Liang MC, Lu SQ, Yu D, Yu CY, Yue DT and Soong TW. Transcript-scanning reveals Novel and Extensive Splice Variations in Human L-type Voltage-gated Calcium Channel, Ca v1.2 a 1 -subunit. J. Biol Chem., 2004, 43:44335-44343

Soong TW, DeMaria CD, Alvania RS, Zweifel, LS, Liang MC, Mittman S, Agnew WS and Yue DT. Systematic identification of splice variants in human P/Q-type channel alpha1(2.1) subunits: Implications for current density and Ca2+-dependent inactivation. J.Neurosci, (2002); 22:10142-10152

DeMaria CD, Soong TW, Alseikhan BA, Alvania RS, and Yue DT. Calmodulin bifurcates the local Ca2+ signal that modulates P/Q-type Ca 2+ channels. Nature, (2001); 411: 484-489.

E. Bourinet*, T. W. Soong*, K. Sutton, S. Slaymaker, E.Mathews, A. Monteil, G. W. Zamponi, J. Nargoet, and T.P. Snutch. Splicing of a 1A subunit gene generates phenotypic variants of P- and Q-type calcium channels. Nat. Neurosci. (1999) 2: 407-415. * joint first author

E. Bourinet, T.W. Soong, A.Stea, and T.P. Snutch. Determinants of the G-protein-dependent opoid modulation of neuronal calcium channels. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci ., U.S.A., (1996),93: 1486-1491.

A. Stea, T.W. Soong, and T.P. Snutch. Determination of PKC-dependent modulation of a family of neuronal calcium channels. Neuron , U.S.A. , Oct (1995),15: 929-940.

M. de Leon, Y Wang, L.Jones, E. Perez-Reyes. X. Wei, T.W. Soong, T.P. Snutch, and D.T. Yue. An essential structural domain for Ca-sensitive inactivation of L-type Ca channels. Science , U.S.A. , (1995), 270: 1502-1506.

T. W. Soong , A. Stea, C. D. Hodson, S. J. Dubel, S. R. Vincent, and T. P. Snutch. Structure and Functional Expression of a Member of the Low Voltage-activated Calcium Channel Family. Science, USA, (1993) 260: 1133-1136.