Professor Cornell University (1993) dongk@msu.edu 293 Farm Lane, Room 438 Giltner Hall (517) 432-2034 Specialty Molecular Entomologist

Jobs available: Postdoctoral Research Associate positions in Ke Dong's Lab. View more information.

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Dong Lab

Research interests
Our research interests focus on the roles of ion channels and receptors in neurophysiology, neurotoxicology and insecticide resistance. Currently we have several exciting projects in progress on the genetics, molecular biology, and pharmacology of voltage-gated sodium channels and the DSC1 channel from various arthropod species including Drosophila, mosquitoes, ticks and mites. Both in vitro and in vivo systems, such as Xenopus oocyte expression system and Drosophila mutants, are employed in our studies. Please visit our lab website for project details.

Recent publications

1. Du, Y. Garden, D. P., Khambay, B., Zhorov B. S., Dong, K. (2011) Batrachotoxin, pyrethroids and BTG 502 share overlapping binding sites on insect sodium channels. Mol. Pharmacol. 80: 426-433.
2. Zhang, T., Liu, Z., Song, W., Du Y. Dong, K. (2011) Molecular characterization and functional expression of the DSC1 channel. Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 41:451-8.
3. Song, W., Du, Y., Liu, Z., Luo, N., Turkov, M., Gordon, D., Gurevitz, M., Goldin, A. L., Dong, K. (2011) Substitutions in the domain III voltage sensor in domain enhance the sensitivity of an insect sodium channel to a scorpion β-toxin. J. Biol. Chem. 286:15781-8.
4. Du, Y., Garden, D. P., Wang, L., Zhorov B. S., Dong, K. (2011) Identification of new batrachotoxin-sensing residues in segment IIIS6 of sodium channel. J. Biol. Chem. 286:13151-60.
5. Du, Y., Khambay, B., Dong, K. (2011) An important role of a pyrethroid sensing residue F1519 in the action of an alkylamide insecticide BTG 502 on the cockroach sodium channel. Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 41:466-50.
6. Parker, L., Padilla, M., Du, Y., Dong, K., Tanouye, M.A. (2011) Drosophila as a model for epilepsy: bss is a gain-of-function mutation in the Para sodium channel gene that leads to seizures. Genetics.187: 523-534.
7. Song, W., Sliver K. S., Du, Y., Liu, Z., Dong, K. (2011) Analysis of the action of lidocaine on insect sodium channels. Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 41: 36-41.
8. Hu, Z., Du, Y., Nomura, Y., Dong, K. (2011) A Sodium channel mutation identified in Aedes aegypti selectively reduces cockroach sodium channel sensitivity to type I, but not type II pyrethroids. Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 41: 9-13.