Faculty & Research

Sandeep Kumar, M.D.

Research Assistant Professor
Department of Psychiatry and Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies

Office | 3021A Thurston-Bowles Bldg, CB#7178

Email | sandeep_kumar@med.unc.edu

Lab Website | Molecular Neuropharmacology

Research Interests

Ethanol Regulation of GABA-A receptors

The primary goal of my project is to determine the molecular basis of ethanol induced adaptation of GABA-A receptors that influence the development of ethanol tolerance. There are many factors, including PKC, that may cause adaptation of GABA-A receptor following ethanol exposure. My research is focused on identifying the role of PKC that affects GABA-A receptor expression and function. I am interested in how ethanol affects PKC association with GABA-A receptors to alter receptor phosphorylation and trafficking. In addition, I am also investigating the effect of ethanol on PKC expression.

Center Line Articles

 

Recent Publications

Click for a list of publications from PubMed

Wilkie MB, Besheer J, Kelley SP, Kumar S, O'Buckley TK, Morrow AL, Hodge CW. Acute ethanol administration rapidly increases phosphorylation of conventional protein kinase C in specific mammalian brain regions in vivo. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2007 Jul;31(7):1259-67.

Sandeep Kumar, Brandon M. Lane, and A. Leslie Morrow.  Differential effects of systemic ethanol administration on PKCε, g and  β isoform expression, membrane translocation and target phosphorylation: Reversal by chronic ethanol exposure. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 319 (3): 1366-1375 (2006).

 Kumar S, Khisti RT, Morrow AL. Regulation of native GABAA receptors by PKC and protein phosphatase activity. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2005 Dec;183(2):241-7.  

Khisti RT, Boyd KN, Kumar S, Morrow AL. Systemic ethanol administration elevates deoxycorticosterone levels and chronic ethanol exposure attenuates this response.  Brain Res. 2005 Jul 5;1049(1):104-11. 

 Morrow AL, Ferrani-Kile K, Davis MI, Shumilla JA, Kumar S, Maldve R, Pandey SC. Ethanol effects on cell signaling mechanisms. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2004 Feb;28(2):217-27.

 Kumar S, Fleming RL, Morrow AL. Ethanol regulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptors: genomic and nongenomic mechanisms. Pharmacol Ther. 2004 Mar;101(3):211-26.

 Khisti RT, Kumar S, Morrow AL. Ethanol rapidly induces steroidogenic acute regulatory protein expression and translocation in rat adrenal gland. Eur J Pharmacol. 2003 Jul 25;473(2-3):225-7.   

Kumar S, Kralic JE, O'Buckley TK, Grobin AC, Morrow AL. Chronic ethanol consumption enhances internalization of alpha1 subunit-containing GABAA receptors in cerebral cortex. J Neurochem. 2003 Aug;86(3):700-8. 

Kumar S, Sieghart W, Morrow AL. Association of protein kinase C with GABA(A) receptors containing alpha1 and alpha4 subunits in the cerebral cortex: selective effects of chronic ethanol consumption. J Neurochem. 2002 Jul;82(1):110-7.