Ronald Taussig, PhD

Associate Professor
Pharmacology
Graduate Program: Cell Regulation

Contact Information

UT Southwestern Medical Center
5323 Harry Hines Boulevard
Dallas, Texas 75390

Office Phone: 214-645-6146
Office Fax: 214-645-6131

ron.taussig@utsouthwestern.edu

Biography

I received my bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in 1979 and my PhD in biology from Stanford University in 1988. During my postdoctoral research here in the Department of Pharmacology at UT Southwestern, my interest in signal transduction was focused on cell signaling mechanisms mediated by heterotrimeric G proteins. In 1994, I joined the Department of Biological Chemistry at the University of Michigan Medical Center, where I initiated genetic studies on the hormone regulated adenylyl cyclase system.

Following my promotion to associate professor in 2001, I moved back to Dallas, joining the UT Southwestern Pharmacology faculty. My laboratory continues our long-established interest in understanding signal transduction processes regulated by heterotrimeric G proteins, with the primary focus of our research being the hormone regulated adenylyl cyclase system. These studies utilize a combination of molecular biology, biochemical and genetic approaches.

Our most recent efforts have focused on determining the involvement of adenylyl cyclase mutations in pathophysiological states and examining the oncogenic potential of activating mutant adenylyl cyclase alleles.

In addition to my laboratory research interests, I am the associate director of the Alliance for Cellular Signaling, a multi-institutional effort based here at UT Southwestern that is aimed at understanding signaling networks in mouse macrophages.

Education

Graduate SchoolStanford University (1988)
UndergraduateColumbia College (1979)

Research Interests

Regulation of mammalian adenylyl cyclases
Signal transduction by heterotrimeric G proteins

Publications

Featured
Isoforms of Mammalian Adenylyl Cyclase: Multiplicities of Signaling

Sunahara, R.K. and Taussig, R. , Mol. Interv. , 2002; (2):168-184

Featured
Activating Mutation of Adenylyl Cyclase Reverses its Inhibition by G Proteins

Zimmermann, G., Zhou, D. and Taussig, R. , Mol. Pharmacol. , 1999; (56):895-901

Featured
Genetic Selection of Mammalian Adenylyl Cyclases Insensitive to Stimulation by Gs-Alpha

Zimmermann , G., Zhou, D. and Taussig, R. , J. Biol. Chem. , 1998; (273):6968-6975

Featured
Protein Kinase C Alters the Responsiveness of Adenylyl Cyclases to G Protein Alpha and Beta-Gamma Subunits

Zimmermann, G. and Taussig, R. , J. Biol. Chem. , 1996; (271):27161-27166

Featured
Inhibition of Adenylyl Cyclase by Gi-Alpha

Taussig, R., Iniguez-Lluhi, J.A. and Gilman, A.G. , Science , 1993; (261):218-221

Genetic Selection of Regulatory Mutants of Mammalian Adenylyl Cyclases

Clapp, P.A., Capper, A.B. and Taussig, R. , Meth. Enzymol. , 2002; (345):241-251

Isoforms of Mammalian Adenylyl Cyclase: Multiplicities of Signaling

Sunahara, R.K. and Taussig, R. , Mol. Interv. , 2002; (2):168-184

G Protein Beta Subunit Types Differentially Interact with a Muscarinic Receptor but not Adenylyl Cyclase Type II or Phospholipase C-Beta 2/3

Hou, Y., Chang, V., Capper, A., Taussig, R. and Gautam, N. , J. Biol. Chem. , 2001; (276):19982-19988

Evidence that a Protein-Protein Interaction "Hot Spot" is Used for Multiple Effector Recognition on Heterotrimeric G Protein Beta-Gamma Subunits

Scott, J.K., Huang, S.F., Gangadhar, B.P., Samorisky, G.M., Clapp, P., Gross, R.A., Taussig, R.and Smrcka, A.V. , EMBO J. , 2001; (20):767-776

Dopamine D2 Receptor-Induced Heterologous Sensitization of Adenylate Cyclase Requires G Alpha s: Characterization of G Alpha s-Insensitive Mutants of Adenylate Cyclase V

Watts, V.J., Taussig, R., Neve, R.L. and Neve, K.A. , Mol. Pharmacol. , 2001; (60):1168-1172

Honors/Awards

Burroughs Wellcome New Investigator Award

Burroughs Wellcome Award in the Pharmacological Sciences (1997)

Fellowship Award

Merck Sharp & Dohme Research Laboratories (1988)

Professional Associations/Affiliations

ASBMB

ASPET

International Human Proteomics Organization (HUPO), Council

Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Biological Chemistry

Study Section, American Heart Association