Kuey-Chu Chen, Ph.D.
Associate Research Professor and Director UK Microarray Core Facility
University of California, Davis, 1983.
Office: HSRB-154, Health Sciences Research Building (0305)
Lab: MN-305 Chandler Medical Center (0298), (859) 323-3608;
HSRB-156 Health Sciences Research Building, (859) 323-6979
Tel: (859) 323-6241
Research activities involve studies of gene expression in brain in relation to aging and hormone regulation. Research approaches emphasize the use of molecular biology, particularly quantitative analysis of messenger RNA in the brain, to investigate the expression of certain genes, including hormone receptors, calcium channels and various second messengers. Techniques of quantitative real-time PCR and DNA microarray analyses are routinely being used in the lab. Several new cutting edge approaches including using epigenetic nCounter RNA measurement, genome-wide RNA sequencing, epigenetic marks analyses and laser capture tissue microdissection are being established.
Selected Publications
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Go YY, Bailey E, Cook D, Coleman S, MacLeod J, Chen K-C, Timoney P, and Balasuriya UB (2011) Genome-Wide Association Study Among Four Horse Breeds Identifies a Common Haplotype Associated with the In Vitro CD3+ T Cell Susceptibility/Resistance to Equine Arteritis Virus Infection. J Virology 85:13174-84. PMID: 21994447
Gant JC, Chen K-C, Norris CM, Kadish I, Thibault O, Blalock EM, Porter NM and Landfield PW (2011) Disrupting Function of FK506-Binding Protein 1b/12.6 Induces the Ca2+-Dysregulation Aging Phenotype in Hippocampal Neurons. J Neurosci. 31:1693–1703. PMID:21289178
Norris CM, Blalock EM, Chen K-C, Porter, NM, Thibault O, Kraner SD, Landfield PW (2010) Hippocampal ‘zipper’ slice studies reveal a necessary role for calcineurin in the increased activity of L-type Ca2+ channels with aging. Neurobiology of Aging 31:328-338. PMID:18471936
Blalock EM, Phelps JT, Pancani T, Searcy JL, Anderson KL, Gant JC, Popovic J, Avdiushko MG, Cohen DA, Chen K-C, Porter NM and Thibault O (2010) Effects of Long-term Pioglitazone Treatment on Peripheral and Central Markers of Aging. PLoS ONE 5(4): e10405. PMID: 20454453.
Blalock EM, Grondin R, Chen K-C, Thibault O, Thibault V, Pandya JD, Dowling A, Zhang Z, Sullivan P, Porter NM and Landfield PW (2010) Aging-Related Gene Expression in Hippocampus Proper Compared with Dentate Gyrus Is Selectively Associated with Metabolic Syndrome Variables in Rhesus Monkeys. J Neurosci. 30:6058–71. PMID:20427664
Kadish I, Thibault O, Blalock EM, Chen K-C, Gant JC, Porter NM, Landfield PW (2009) Hippocampal and cognitive aging across the lifespan: A bioenergetic shift precedes and increased cholesterol trafficking parallels memory impairment. J Neurosci 29(6): 1805-16. PMID:19211887
Landfield PW, Blalock EM, Chen KC, Porter NM (2007) A New Glucocorticoid Hypothesis of Brain Aging: Implications for Alzheimer’s Disease. Curr Alzheimer Res. 4:205-12. PMID:17430248
Rowe WB, Blalock EM, Chen KC, Kadish I, Wang D, Barrett JE, Thibault O, Porter NM, Rose GM, Landfield PW (2007) Hippocampal Expression Analyses Reveal Selective Association of Immediate-Early, Neuroenergetic, and Myelinogenic Pathways with Cognitive Impairment in Aged Rats. J Neurosci 27: 3098-3110. PMID:17376971
Blalock EM, Chen KC, Stromberg AJ, Norris CM, Kadish I, Kraner SD, Porter NM, Landfield PW (2005) Harnessing the power of gene microarrays for the study of brain aging and Alzheimer's disease: statistical reliability and functional correlation. Ageing Res Rev. 4:481-512. PMID:16257272
Norris CM, Kadish I, Blalock EM, Chen KC, Thibault V, Porter NM, Landfield PW, Kraner SD (2005) Calcineurin triggers reactive/inflammatory processes in astrocytes and is upregulated in aging and Alzheimer's models. J Neurosci. 25:4649-58. PMID:15872113
Blalock EM, Geddes JW, Chen KC, Porter NM, Markesbery WR, Landfield PW (2004) Incipient Alzheimer's disease: microarray correlation analyses reveal major transcriptional and tumor suppressor responses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 101:2173-8. PMID:14769913
Peng X, Wood CL, Blalock EM, Chen KC, Landfield PW, Stromberg AJ. (2003) Statistical implications of pooling RNA samples for microarray experiments. BMC Bioinformatics. 4:26. PMID:12823867
Blalock EM, Chen KC, Sharrow K, Herman JP, Porter NM, Foster TC, Landfield PW. (2003) Gene microarrays in hippocampal aging: statistical profiling identifies novel processes correlated with cognitive impairment. J Neurosci. 23:3807-3819. PMID:12736351
Norris CM, Blalock EM, Chen K-C, Porter NM, Landfield PW. (2002) Calcineurin enhances L-type Ca(2+) channel activity in hippocampal neurons: increased effect with age in culture. Neuroscience.110:213-225. PMID:11958864
Blalock EM, Chen K-C, Vanaman TC, Landfield PW, Slevin JT. (2001) Epilepsy-induced decrease of L-type Ca2+ channel activity and coordinate regulation of subunit mRNA in single neurons of rat hippocampal 'zipper' slices. Epilepsy Res. 43:211-226. PMID:11248533
Brewer L, Thibault V, Chen K-C, Langub C, Landfield PW and Porter NM. (2001) Vitamin D hormone confers neuroprotection in parallel with down-regulation of L-type calcium channel expression in hippocampal neurons. J Neurosci 21(1)98-108. PMID:11150325
Chen K-C, Blalock EM, Thibault O, Kaminker P and Landfield PW. (2000) Expression of a1D subunit mRNA is correlated with L-type Ca2+ channel activity in single neurons of hippocampal "zipper" slices. PNAS 97(8):4357-62. PMID:10759553
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