Adron Harris

Harris, Adron
M. June and J. Virgil Waggoner Chair In Molecular Biology
Director, Waggoner Center for Alcohol & Addiction Research

E-mail: harris@mail.utexas.edu

Website: http://www.utexas.edu/research/wcaar

Main Office: MBB 1.124
Phone: 232-2514

Alternate Office: ARC 2.124
Phone: 471-2106

Mailing Address:
The University of Texas at Austin - ICMB
1 University Station A4800
2500 Speedway, MBB 1.124
Austin, TX 78712-1095

Graduate Students:

  • Lee, Chang Hoon
  • McCracken, Mandy
  • McCracken, Lindsay

    • Post Doc Students:

  • Borghese, Cecilila
  • Gorini, Giorgio
  • Howard, Rebecca
  • Johnson II, W. David

    • Research Summary:
       This laboratory is investigating molecular mechanisms responsible for alcoholism and drug dependence. We are defining actions of alcohol and other drugs on brain cells as well as the long-term changes in gene expression responsible for tolerance and dependence. The ion channels controlling neuronal excitability are of particular importance in our studies. Another aspect is the neurochemical basis for genetic differences in drug response. These experiments use genetically modified mice that vary in susceptibility to drug intoxication and dependence. A student working in this laboratory would carry out some of the following studies: (a) effects of drugs on ion channels; (b) site-directed mutagenesis of ion channels; (c) functional and structural studies of brain neurotransmitter receptors; (d) gene expression profiles of humans and mice using cDNA microarrays.
     
    Publications:
    Gene expression profiling in blood: new diagnostics in alcoholism and addiction? (2009) Neuropsychopharmacology 34, 250-51.
    Deletion of vanilloid receptor (TRPV1) in mice alters behavioral effects of ethanol (2009) Neuropharmacology 56, 814-20.
    lzheimer's disease and anesthesia: out of body, out of mind...or not? (2008) Ann Neurol. 64, 595-7.
    The effects of volatile aromatic anesthetics on voltage-gated Na+ channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes. (2008) Anesth Analg 107, 1579-86.
    Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) regulation of ethanol sedation, dependence and consumption: relationship to acamprosate actions (2008) Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 11, 775-93.
    General anesthetics have additive actions on three ligand gated ion channels (2008) Anesth Analg. 107, 486-93.
    Ethanol's molecular targets (2008) Sci Signal 1, re7.
    Wheel running, voluntary ethanol consumption, and hedonic substitution (2008) Alcohol 42, 417-24.
    n-Alcohols inhibit voltage-gated Na+ channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes (2008) J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 326, 270-7.
    GABA(A) receptors and alcohol. (2008) Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 90, 90-4.
    Effects of acamprosate on neuronal receptors and ion channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes. (2008) Alcohol Clin Exp Res.
    Crosslinking of sites involved with alcohol action between transmembrane segments and 3 of the glycine receptor following activation (2008) J Neurochem 104, 1649-62.
    Altered gene expression profiles in the frontal cortex of cirrhotic alcohohlics (2007) Alcohol Clin. Exp. Res. 31, 1460-66.
    Effects of acamprosate on neuronal receptors and ion channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes (2007) Alcohol Clin. Exp. Res. 32, 188-96.
    Role of endocannabinoids in alcohol consumption and intoxication: Studies of mice lacking fatty acid amide hydrolase (2007) Neuropsychopharmacology 32, 1570-82.
    Neuroadaptations in chronic alcoholics: Dysregulation of the NF-kB-dependent gene transcription (2006) PloS ONE 2, e930.
    Alcohol-related genes: contributions from studies with genetically engineered mice (2006) Addict Biol. 11, 195-269.
    Reduced alochol consumption and palatability in mice lacking preprodynorphin (2006) Alcohol 40, 73-86.
    Knockin mice with ethanol-insensitive alpha1-containing gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptors display selective alterations in behavioral responses to ethanol (2006) J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 319, 219-27.
    Effect of Isoflurane and Other Potent Inhaled Anesthetics on Minimum Alveolar Concentration, Learning, and the Righting Reflex in Mice Engineered to Express alpha1 gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Type A Receptors Unresponsive to Isoflurane. (2006) Anesthesiology 106, 107-113.
    Transcriptional signatures of cellular plasticity in mice lacking the alpha1 subunit of GABAA receptors. (2006) J Neurosci. 26, 5673-83.
    Effects of anesthetics on mutant N-Methyl-D-spartate receptors expressed in Xenopus Oocytes. (2006) J. Pharmacol. Expt. Ther. 318, 434-443.
    Toward understanding the genetics of alcohol drinking through transcriptome meta-analysis (2006) PNAS 103, 6368-73.
    An isoflurane- and alcohol-insensitive mutant GABA-A receptor alpha 1 subunit with near normal affinity for GABA: characterization in heterologous systems and production of knock-in mice (2006) JPET 319, 208-218.
    The delta subunit of gamma-aminobuyric acid type A receptors does not confer sensitivity to low concentraions of ethanol. (2006) JPET 316, 1360-68.
    MAC of 2-, 3- and 4-alcohols and ketones in rats: relevance to anesthetic mechanisms. (2006) Anesth Analg 102, 1419-1426.
    Sites in TM2 and 3 are critical for alcohol-induced conformational changes in GABA-A receptors (2006) J. Neurochem 96, 885-892.
    Accessibility to residues in transmembrane segment four of the glycine receptor. (2006) Neuropharm. 50, 174-181.
    Patterns of gene expression in the frontal cortex discriminate alcoholic from nonalcoholic individuals. (2006) Neuropsychopharm. 31, 1574-1582.
    Defining the dopamine transporter proteome by convergent biochemical and in silico analyses. (2006) Epub, Genes, Brain and Behavior 27
    delta-Subunit containing GABA-A receptor knockout mice are less sensitive to the actions of THIP. (2006) European J. Pharm. 541, 158-162.
    The delta subunit of gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptors does not confer sensitivity to low concentrations of ethanol. (2006) J. Pharmacol. Expt. Ther. 316, 1360-1368.
    Toward understanding the genetics of alcohol drinking through transcriptome meta-analysis. (2006) PNAS 103, 6368-73.
    Effects of anesthetics on mutant N-Methyl-D-spartate receptors expressed in Xenopus Oocytes. (2006) J. Pharmacol. Expt. Ther. 318, 434-443.
    Transcriptional signatures of cellular plasticity in mice lacking the alpha1 subunit of GABAA receptors. (2006) J Neurosci. 26, 5673-83.
    GABA Type A receptors and alcoholism: Intoxication, dependence, vulnerability and treatment. (2006) Arch Gen Psychiatry 63, 957-968.
    No abstract Revealing alcohol abuse: to ask or to test? (2005) Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 29, 1257-63.
    Hybrid C57BL/6J x FVB/NJ mice drink more alcohol than do C57BL/6J mice. (2005) Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 29, 1949-58.
    Male transgenic glycine receptor alpha1 (S267Q) mutant mice display a hyperekplexia-like increase in acoustic startle responses. (2005) Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 82, 215-22.
    Nicotine addiction and comorbidity with alcohol abuse and mental illness. (2005) Nat. Neurosci. 8, 1465-70.
    The effects of anesthetics and ethanol on alpha2 adrenoceptor subtypes expressed with G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium channels in Xenopus oocytes. (2005) Anesth Analg. 101, 1381-8.
    Revealing alcohol abuse: to ask or to test? (2005) Alcohol Clin Exp Res 29, 1257-63.
    Perturbation of chemokine networks by gene deletion alters the reinforcing actions of ethanol (2005) Behav. Brain Res. 165, 110-25.
    Sites of alcohol and volatile anesthetic action on glycine receptors. (2005) Int. Rev. Neurobiol. 65, 53-87.
    Nicotine addiction and comorbidity with alcohol abuse and mental illness. (2005) Nat. Neurosci. 8, 1465-70.
    Alcohol: Neurobiology. (2005) In: Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook , 121-151.
    Functional and structural analysis of the GABA-A receptor ?? subunit during channel gating and alcohol modulation. (2005) J. Biol. Chem. 280, 308-316.
    alpha 3-containing GABAA receptors are not major targets for the amnesic and immobilizing actions of isoflurane (2005) Anesth. Analg. 101, 412-18.
    Effects of anesthetics and ethanol on alpha 2 adrenoceptor subtypes expressed with G-protein coupled inwardly rectifying potassium channels in Xenopus oocytes. (2005) Anesth. Analg. 101, 1381-88.
    Channel gating of the glycine receptor changes accessibility to residues implicated in receptor potentiation by alcohols and anesthetics. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 33919-27.
    Are sobriety and consciousness determined by water in protein cavities? (2004) Alcohol Clin. Exp. Res. 28, 1-3.
    The application of proteomics to the human alcoholic brain. (2004) Ann. NY Acad. Science 1025
    Alcohol and inhibitory receptors: Unexpected specificity from a nonspecific drug. (2004) PNAS 10, 1073.
    Crosslinking of glycine receptor transmembrane segments two and three alters coupling of ligand binding with channel opening. (2004) J. Neurochem. 90, 962-69.
    Deletion of the fyn-kinase gene alters sensitivity to GABAergic drugs: Dependence on alpha 2/Beta 3 GABA-A receptor subunits. (2004) J. Pharmacol. Expt. Ther. 309, 1154-1159.
    Effects of alcohols and anesthetics on recombinant voltage-gated Na+ channels. (2004) J. Pharmacol. Expt. Ther. 309, 987-994.
    Gene expression profiling of individual cases reveals consistent transcriptional changes in alcoholic human brain. (2004) J. Neurochem. 90, 1050-58.
    Gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptors do not mediate the immobility produced by isoflurane. (2004) Anesth. Analg. 99, 85-90.
    Over-expression of the fyn-kinase gene reduces hypnotic sensitivity to ethanol (2004) Neuroscience Letters 372, 6-11.
    Blockade of the leptin-sensitive pathway markedly reduces alcohol consumption in mice. (2004) Alcohol Clin. Exp. Res. 28, 1683-92.
    Convergent analysis of cDNA and short oligomer microarrays, mouse null mutants, and bioinformatics resources to study complex traits. (2004) Genes, Brain & Behav. 3, 360-8.
    Mice lacking metabotropic glutamate receptor-4 do not show the motor stimulatory effect of ethanol. (2004) Alcohol 34, 251-259.
    Aminobutyric acid A receptor subunit mutant mice: new perspectives on alcohol actions. (2004) Biochem. Pharmacol. 68, 1581-1602.

     
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