John Wemmie M.D., Ph.D.
john-wemmieatuiowadotedu
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

My lab uses genetic manipulation in mice to study the effects of Acid Sensing Ion Channels (ASICs) on behavior.

Because one of these channels, ASIC1, is abundant in the amygdala complex, we tested whether it plays a role in Pavlovian fear conditioning. We found that ASIC1a knockout mice have reduced fear conditioning, whereas transgenic mice overexpressing ASIC1a have increased fear conditioning. These data suggest that ASICs may play an important role in fear, and raise the possibility that they might contribute to anxiety disorders in humans and might provide a pharmacological target for treating anxiety. Ongoing studies in my lab are exploring these possibilities.

Selected Publications

Wemmie J, Coryell M, Askwith C, Lamani E, Leonard S, Sigmund C, Welsh M, Overexpression of ASIC1a in Transgenic Mice Increases Fear-related Behavior, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Mar 9;101(10):3621-6, 2004

Askwith CC, Wemmie JA, Price MP, Rokhlina T, and Welsh MJ, ASIC2 Modulates ASIC1 H+-Activated Currents in Hippocampal Neurons, J. Biol. Chem., 2004 Feb 11 [Epub ahead of print]

Wemmie J, Askwith C, Lamani E, Cassell M, Freeman J, Welsh M: ASIC1 is Localized in Brain Regions with High Synaptic Density and Contributes to Fear Conditioning. J. Neurosci. 2003 23: 5496-5502

Leonard AS, Yermolaieva O, Hruska-Hageman A, Askwith CC, Price MP, Wemmie JA, Welsh MJ: cAMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation of the acid-sensing ion channel-1 regulates its binding to the protein interacting with C-kinase-1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Feb 18;100(4):2029-34.

Wemmie J, Chen J, Askwith C, Hruska-Jageman A, Price M, Nolan B, Yoder P, Lamani E, Hoshi T, Freeman J, Welsh M: The Acid-Activated Ion Channel ASIC Contributes to Synaptic Plasticity, Leaning, and Memory. Neuron (34):463-477 2002.