Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
Pharmacology & Experimental Neuroscience
Biology, University of Nebraska - Omaha

Wallace B. Thoreson, Ph.D.

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ACADEMIC DEGREES:

Post-Doctoral:  University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, Neuroscience
Doctoral:  Ph.D., 1989, Physiology (Minor - Neuroscience).
Undergraduate:  Carleton College, Northfield, MN.  B.A., Biology, 1981

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Contact Name: Wallace B. Thoreson
Phone Number: (402) 559-2019
e-mail address: wbthores@unmc.edu

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• GRANT SUPPORT (last 3 years):

“Regulation of photoreceptor neurotransmission”
National Institutes of Health, R01 EY10542, 9/1/1994 – 8/31/2009
Wallace Thoreson, P.I.

 Lew Wasserman Merit Award
Research to Prevent Blindness
7/1/2008-7/1/2009
Wallace Thoreson, P.I.

“Delivery of LEDGF for retinal degenerative disorders”
National Institutes of Health, R21 EY17360, 4/07 – 3/08

Sabbatical Grant
Research to Prevent Blindness
7/06-1/07
Wallace Thoreson, P.I. 

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• PUBLICATIONS (last 3-5 years):

Thoreson WB, Rabl K, Townes-Anderson E, Heidelberger R.  A highly Ca²⁺-sensitive pool of vesicles contributes to linearity at the rod photoreceptor ribbon synapse.  Neuron 42: 595-605, 2004.

Evans SR, Thoreson WB, Beck C.L. Molecular and functional analysis of two new CLCA family members from mouse eye and intestine.  J. Biol. Chem.279: 41792-41800, 2004.

Cadetti L, Thoreson WB*, Piccolino M.  Pre- and post-synaptic effects of manipulating surface charge with divalent cations at the photoreceptor synapse.  Neurosci.129: 791-801, 2004. (*Corresponding author.)

Thoreson WB, Bryson EJ.  Chloride equilibrium potential in salamander cones.  BMC Neurosci. 5: 53, 2004.

Das AV, James J, Rahnenfuhrer J, Thoreson WB, Bhattacharya S, Zhao X, Ahmad I.  Retinal properties and potential of the adult mammalian ciliary epithelium stem cells.  Vision Res. 45: 1653-1666, 2005.

Anton F, Leverkoehne I, Mundhenk L, Thoreson WB, Gruber AD.  Overexpression of eCLCA1 in small airways of horses with recurrent airway obstruction. J. Histochem. Cytochem., 53: 1011-1021, 2005.

Rabl K, Cadetti L, Thoreson WB. Kinetics of exocytosis is faster in cones than rods. J Neurosci 25:4633-4640, 2005.

Das AV, Edakkot S, Thoreson WB, James J, Bhattacharya S, Ahmad I. Membrane properties of retinal stem cells/progenitors.  Prog. Ret. Eye Res. 24: 663-681, 2005.

Heidelberger R, Thoreson WB, Witkovsky P.*  Synaptic transmission at retinal ribbon synapses.  Prog. Ret. Eye Res. 24: 682-720, 2005. (*All authors contributed equally.) 

Cadetti L, Tranchina D, Thoreson WB.  A comparison of release kinetics and glutamate receptor properties in shaping rod-cone differences in EPSC kinetics in the salamander retina. J Physiol (Lond) 569:773-788,2005.

Rabl K, Cadetti L, Thoreson WB. Paired pulse depression at photoreceptor synapses. J Neurosci 26:2555-2563, 2006. 

Cadetti L, Thoreson WB.  Feedback effects of horizontal cell membrane potential on cone calcium currents studied with simultaneous recordings.  J. Neurophysiol. 95: 1992-1995, 2006.

Margalit E, Thoreson WB.*  Inner retinal mechanisms engaged by retinal electrical stimulation.  Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 47: 2606-2612, 2006.  (*Both authors contributed equally)

Cadetti L, Bryson EJ, Ciccone CA, Rabl K, Thoreson WB. Calcium-induced calcium release in rod photoreceptor terminals boosts synaptic transmission during maintained depolarization. Eur J Neurosci 23:2983-2990, 2006.

Das AV, Mallya KB, Zhao X, Ahmad F, Bhattacharya B, Thoreson WB, Hegde GV, Ahmad I. Neural stem cell properties of Müller glia in the mammalian retina: regulation by Notch and Wnt signaling. Dev. Biol. 299: 283-302, 2006.

Thoreson WB. The vertebrate retina. In: Neuroimmune Pharmacology. Gendelman HE, Ikezu T, eds, Springer, NY, 2007.

Thoreson WB. Kinetics of synaptic transmission at ribbon synapses of rods and cones. Mol. Neurobiol 36: 205-223, 2007.

Zhao X, Das AV, Bhattacharya S, Thoreson WB, Sierra JR, Mallya KB, Ahmad I.  Derivation of neurons with functional properties from adult limbal epithelium: implications in autologous cell therapy for photoreceptor degeneration.  Stem Cells 26: 939-949, 2008.

Zhao X, Jones SM, Thoreson WB, Lundberg YW.  Osteopontin is not critical for otoconia formation or balance function. J. Assoc. Res. Otol. 9: 191-201, 2008.

Thoreson WB, Babai N, Bartoletti T.  Feedback from horizontal cells to rod photoreceptors in vertebrate retina.  J. Neurosci. 28: 5691-5695, 2008.

Cadetti L, Bartoletti TM, and Thoreson WB.  Quantal mEPSCs and residual glutamate:  how horizontal cell responses are shaped at the photoreceptor ribbon synapse.  Eur. J. Neurosci. 27: 2575-2586, 2008.

Fatma N, Kubo E, Sen M, Agarwal N, Thoreson WB, Camras CB, Singh DP.  Peroxiredoxin 6 delivery attenuates TNF-a and glutamate-induced retinal ganglion cell death by limiting ROS levels and maintaining Ca²⁺ homeostasis.  Brain Res., in press, 2008.

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• PREVIOUS GRADUATE STUDENTS/POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWS (present location):

Salvatore L. Stella, Jr., Ph.D. - Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Neurobiology, UCLA
Katalin Rabl, Ph.D. - Research Associate, Department of Ophthalmology, UCSF
Lucia Cadetti, Ph.D. - Researcher, CMRS, Paris, France

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• CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS:

Dr. Thoreson employs modern electrophysiological and imaging techniques to investigate how rod and cone photoreceptors communicate with second-order nerve cells (bipolar and horizontal cells).  Calcium channels and glutamate receptors play essential roles in this process, but over-stimulation of calcium channels and glutamate receptors can also promote nerve cell damage in a number of eye disease including glaucoma, stroke, ischemia, and perhaps macular degeneration.  A major research focus in Dr. Thoreson’s laboratory is to understand the mechanisms of calcium-dependent synaptic release from ribbon synapses in rod and cone photoreceptors.  Another area of interest is the modulation of exocytosis, particularly by regulating presynaptic calcium channels (e.g., with chloride ions, dopamine, adenosine, and insulin).  Study of these neuromodulators may lead to development of more effective neuroprotective strategies. 

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• SPECIALIZED LABORATORY/CLINICAL RESEARCH RESOURCES:

Whole cell and single channel patch clamp; capacitance measurements of exocytosis; paired whole cell recording; calcium imaging; chloride imaging; confocal microscopy; flash photolysis of caged compounds; gene expression; cell culture.

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