UMDNJ
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology
RWJ-SPH
683 Hoes Lane
Piscataway, NJ 08854-5635

(732) 235-4250
FAX: (732) 235-4990

pintar@umdnj.edu

Genetic analysis of growth and neural development

• Molecular biology
• Mammalian gene targeting
• Immunological approaches
• Anatomical analysis

The laboratory has produced twelve lines of novel mouse strains by gene targeting that interrupt the functions of genes that contribute to growth (insulin-like binding proteins) and ligands and receptors of the endogenous opioid system. Current projects include analysis of single and combinatorial mutants at molecular, biochemical, morphological, and behavioral levels. In addition. production at the peptide level of ligands of both the IGF and opioid system are being analyzed by analysis of the expression and function of multiple enzymes involved at various steps in the production of peptide hormones, as well as mutant mouse strains that alter peptide processing.

For complete list: PubMed

Allen, R.G., Peng, B., Pelligrino, M.J., Miller, E.D., Grady, D.K., Lundblad, J.R., Washburn, C.L., and Pintar, J.E. (2001)
Altered processing of pro-orphanin fq/nociceptin and pro-opiomelanocortin-derived peptides in the brains of mice expressing defective prohormone convertase 2.
J. Neuroscience 21: 5864-5870.

Kest, B., Hopkins, E., Palmese, C.A., Chen, Z.P., Mogil, J.S., and Pintar, J.E. (2001)
Morphine tolerance and dependence in nociceptin/orphanin fq transgenic knock-out mice.
Neuroscience 104: 217-222.

McCarthy, L., Szabo, I., Nitsche, J.F., Pintar, J.E., and Rogers, T.J. (2001)
Expression of functional µ-opioid receptors during T cell development.
J. Neuroimmunology 114: 173-180.

Ragnauth, A., Schuller, A., Morgan, M., Chan, J., Ogawa, S., Pintar, J., Bodnar, R. J., and Pfaff, D.W. (2001)
Female preproenkephalin-knockout mice display altered emotional responses.
PNAS 98: 1958-1963.

Clarke, S., Chen, Z., Hsu, M., Pintar, J.E., Hill, R., and Kitchen, I. (2001)
Quantitative autoradiographic mapping of the ORL1, & mgr; µ-, D- and K-receptors in the brains of knockout mice lacking the ORL-1 receptor gene.
Brain Research 906: 13-24.