CHUN-HYUNG KIM, PHD
- McLean title(s): Instructor
- Email: chkim@mclean.harvard.edu
- Telephone: (617) 855-2026
- Office Address: Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory
- Degree(s): B.Sc.1985, M.S. 1988, Ph.D. 2001
- Clinical Interests:
The norepinephrine transporter (NET) is the primary protein responsible for re-uptake of norepinephrine (NE) into presynaptic nerve terminal, thus critically regulating both transmission and homeostasis of NE. NET is restrictively expressed in noradrenergic neurons and a prime target for major antidepressants and psychostimulants. Furthermore, abnormal NET expression has been implicated in several psychiatric and autonomic disorders. However, despite its physiological and clinical importance, molecular mechanisms underlying NET gene expression and regulation are poorly defined. To understand control mechanisms of NET gene expression at the molecular, cellular, and systemic levels, we will investigate regulatory mechanisms of cell type-specific NET gene transcription at the molecular and systemic levels using in vitro cell culture system as well as in vivo transgenic animal models. Second, we will investigate NET gene regulation by physiological and psychological stimuli. In particular, the molecular mechanism underlying NET gene regulation by chronic stress and glucocorticoid hormones will be investigated. Finally, we will test if altered NET expression may lead to changes in depression and addiction-related behavior and if functional promoter polymorphisms may associate with human afflictions with relevance to abnormal NE function.
These projects will shed new insights on the regulation of NET gene expression in the normal and diseased brains, which may translate into early genetic diagnosis, development of new drug targets, and novel therapeutic approaches for depression and other NE-related disorders.
- Bio:
Chun-Hyung received his B.Sc. from the Department of Food Microbiology at the Seoul national University, Korea in 1985. In 1988 he obtained his M.S. degree from the same department for his thesis work "Identification, Purification and Characterization of Chitosanase from Streptomyces spp. KH1." In 1996 Chun-Hyung pursued his interest in neurobiology and joined the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology of the University of Tennessee. In 2001 he was awarded a Ph.D. for his work on "Gene Regulation and Diseases of Noradrenergic system."
Chun-Hyung worked as a research scientist at the Lucky Central Research Institute of Korea and as a senior research scientist for the Lucky Biotech Corporation, Emeryville from 1988 to 1994. From 1994 to 1996 he joined LG Chem Biotech Research Institute of Korea as a senior research scientist. After a brief stint as a research fellow and postdoctoral fellow in the Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory at McLean from 1999 to 2001 Chun-Hyung return to Korea where he worked for LG Life Science Ltd, as a principal research scientist. In 2003 he returned to the Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory at McLean where he is an Instructor.
- Publications:
- Hong-Seob So, Jae-young Yang, Chun-Hyung Kim, Young-Woo Park, Deog-Young Choi, Wang-Shick Ryu and Joong-Myung Cho. (1994): Expression of structural proteins of HCV by recombinant vaccinia virus. Vaccines 94, p. 367-372. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor.
- Kyuboem Han, Juan Hong, Henry C. Lim, Chun-Hyung Kim, Young-Woo Park, and Joong Myung Cho.(1994): Tyrosinase production in recombinant E. coli containing trp promoter and ubiquitin sequence. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 721: 30-42
- Joong-Myung Cho, Young-Woo Park, Yong-Beom Lee, Jae-Young Yang, Chun-Hyung Kim, Seung-Ho Choo and Wang-Shick Ryu. (1995): Molecular cloning of hepatitis C virus genome from a single korean blood donor. Mol. Cells 5(4): 317-324
- W.S. Ryu, D.Y. Choi, J.Y. Yang, Chun-Hyung Kim, Y.S. Kwon, H.S. So and J.M. Cho (1995): Characterization of the putative E2 envelope glycoprotein of hepatitis C virus expressed in stably transformed chinese hamster ovary cells. Mol. Cells 5(6): 563-568
- I.H. Lee, Chun-Hyung Kim and W.S. Ryu (1996): Presentation of the hydrophilic domains of hepatitis C viral E2 envelope glycoprotein on hepatitis B surface antigen particles. J. Med. Virol. 50: 145-151.
- H.S. Jeh, Chun-Hyung Kim, H.K. Lee and K. Han (1998): Recombinant flounder growth hormone from Escherichia coli: overexpression, efficient recovery, and growth-promoting effect on juvenile flounder by oral administration. J. Biotechnol. 60: 183-193.
- C.Yang, H.S. Kim, H. Seo, Chun-Hyung Kim, J.Brunet, and K.S. Kim (1998): Paired-like homeodomain proteins, phox2a and phox2b, are responsible for noradrenergic cell-specific transcription of the dopamine (char)-hydroxylase gene. J. Neurochem. 71: 1813-1826.
- Chun-Hyung Kim, Hee-Sun Kim, Joseph F. Cubells, and Kwang-Soo Kim (1999): A previously undescribed intron and extensive 5' upstream sequence, but not phox2a-mediated transactivation, are necessary for high level cell type-specific expression of the human norepinephrine transporter gene. J. Biol. Chem. 274: 6507-6518.
- Zabetian CP, Anderson GM, Buxbaum SG, Elston RC, Ichinose H, Nagatsu T, Kim KS, Chun-Hyung Kim, Malison RT, Gelernter J, and Cubells JF. (2001) A quantitative-trait analysis of human plasma dopamine (char)-hydroxylase activity: evidence for a major functional polymorphism at the DBH locus. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 68:515-522.
- Chun-Hyung Kim, Paul Ardayfio, and Kwang-soo Kim (2001): An E-box motif residing in the exon/intron 1 junction regulates both transcriptional activation and splicing of the human norepinephrine transporter gene. J. Biol. Chem. 276:24797-24805.
- Seok Jong Hong, Chun-Hyung Kim, and Kwang‑Soo Kim. (2001) The 5' upstream promoter of the human Phox2a gene can drive the noradrenergic cell type-specific gene expression and is regulated by transcription factors Phox2b and GATA3. J. Neurochem. 79:1225-1236.
- Chun-Hyung Kim, Cyrus P. Zabetian, Joseph F. Cubells, Sonhae Cho, Italo Biaggioni, Bruce M. Cohen, David Robertson, and Kwang-Soo Kim (2002): Mutations in the dopamine (char)-hydroxylase gene associate with human norepinephrine deficiency. Am. J. Med. Genet. 108:140-147.
- Chun-Hyung Kim, Dong-Youn Hwang, Jae-Joon Park and Kwang‑Soo Kim. (2002) Multiple interactions between transcription factors including HoxA5 and Phox2 proteins at a proximal promoter domain critically regulate the noradrenergic cell type-specific transcriptional activity of the human norepinephrine transporter gene. J. Neurosci. 22:2579-2589.
- Hyemyung Seo, Seokjong Hong, Su Guo, Hee-Sun Kim, Chun-Hyung Kim, Ole Isacson, Arnon Rosenthal, and Kwang-Soo Kim. (2002) A direct role of the homeodomain proteins Phox2a/2b in noradrenaline neurotransmitter identity determination. J. Neurochem. 80:905-916.
- Zhu MY, Chun-Hyung Kim, Hwang DY, Baldessarini RJ, Kim KS. (2002) Effects of desipramine treatment on norepinephrine transporter gene expression in the cultured SK-N-BE(2)M17 cells and rat brain tissue. J. Neurochem. 82:146-153.
- Garland EM, Hahn MK, Ketch TP, Keller NR, Chun-Hyung Kim, Kim KS, Biaggioni I, Shannon JR, Blakely RD, Robertson D. (2002) Genetic basis of clinical catecholamine disorders. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 971:506-514.
- Cho, S., Chun-Hyung Kim, Cubells, J.F., Zabetian, C.P., Cohen, B.M., Biaggioni, I., Robertson, D., and Kim, K.S. (2003) Variations in the dopamine (char)-hydroxylase gene are not associated with the autonomic disorders, pure autonomic failure or multiple system atrophy. Am. J. Med. Genet. 120A:234-236.
- Kim, K.S., Chun-Hyung Kim, Hwang, D.Y., Seo H., Chung, S., Hong, S.J., Anderson, T., and Isacson, O. (2003) The orphan nuclear receptor Nurr1 directly transactivates the promoter of the tyrosine hydroxylase gene, but not the dopamine (char)-hydroxylase gene, in a cell-specific manner. J. Neurochem. 85:622-634.
- Zabestian, C.P., Romero, R., Robertson, D., Sharma, S., Padbury, J. F., Kuivaniemi, H., Kim, K.S., Chun-Hyung Kim, Köhnke, M.D., Kranzler, H.R., Gelertner, J., and Cubells, J.F. (2003) A revised allele frequency estimate and haplotype analysis of the DBH deficiency mutation IVS1+2TÆC in African- and European-Americans. Am. J. Med. Genet. 123A:190-192.
- Ryu, H., Lee J., Chun-Hyung Kim, Simon, D.K., Aminova, L., Andreyev, A., Kushnareva, Y., Murphy, A., Lonze, B.E., Kim, K.S., Ginty, D.D., Ferrante, R.J., Ratan, R.R. (2004) Mitochondrial CREB regulates mitochondrial gene expression and neuronal survival. submitted.