Agnes Simonyi

Research Associate Professor of Biochemistry

Email:	simonyia@missouri.edu
Phone:	(573) 884-6178
Fax:	(573) 884-4597
Office:	135B Schweitzer Hall
Mailing Address:	Biochemistry 117 Schweitzer Hall University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO 65211
Research Areas:	Glutamate receptors in learning and memory; ischemic induction of inflammatory factors and treatment with polyphenols.

Educational Background

Research Description

The goal of my research is to gain detailed understanding of the specific role/s of the different subtypes of metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors in neuronal plasticity using combinations of neuroanatomical, neurochemical and behavioral methods in animal models. Until recently, eight subtypes of mGlu receptors have been cloned and many of them have several splice variants. These receptors have been classified into three groups based on their amino acid sequence similarity, transduction mechanism and pharmacological profile. Briefly, group I mGlu receptors (mGlu1 and mGlu5) are positively associated with phospholipase C, whereas group II (mGlu2 and mGlu3) and group III (mGlu4, mGlu6, mGlu7 and mGlu8) mGlu receptors are negatively coupled to adenylyl cyclase. Each subtype shows a distinct pattern of expression in the brain but there is a considerable overlap in the distribution of the different receptors. Each subtype is present in neuronal cells and several subtypes are also expressed by glial cells. The major functions of this new family of G-protein coupled receptors involve the modulation of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission in many physiologically important pathways throughout the central nervous system. Several studies including my recent research have demonstrated the involvement of these receptors in learning and memory processes. Our studies have also shown that the expression and coupling of mGlu receptors is differentially regulated during postnatal development and aging. These data suggested that mGlu receptors may play important roles in early brain development and in some of the age-related changes in cognitive, motor and sensory functions. Further research focuses on how these receptors in different brain regions contribute to distinct memory stages in different learning tasks in order to better understand cognitive processes and face significant challenges in improving and/or erasing memory when impaired by pathological conditions.

Selected Publications

Simonyi, A., Serfozo, P., Shelat, P.B., Dopheide, M.M., Coulibaly, A.P. and Schachtman, T.R. (2007) Differential roles of hippocampal metabotropic glutamate receptors 1 and 5 in inhibitory avoidance learning. Neurobiol. Learning & Memory, 88:305-311.

Simonyi, A., Schachtman, T.R. and Christoffersen, G.R.J. The role of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) in learning and memory processes (2005) (Review), Drug News and Perspectives, 18:353-361.

Simonyi, A., R.T. Ngomba, M. Storto, M.V. Catania, L.A. Miller, B. Youngs, V. DiGiorgi —Gerevini, F. Nicoletti and G.Y. Sun. (2005) Expression of groups I and II metabotropic glutamate receptors in the rat brain during aging. Brain Res. 1043:95-106.

Bills, C,. Schachtman, T.R.,. Serfozo, P., Gasparini, F., Spooren, W.P.J.M. and. Simonyi, A. (2005) Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 and latent inhibition using conditioned taste aversion. Behav. Brain Res. 157:71-78.

Simonyi, A., Wang, Q. Miller, R., L., Yusof, M., Shelat, P. B., Sun, A. Y. and Sun, G. Y. (2005) Polyphenols in cerebral ischemia: novel targets for neuroprotection. Mol. Neurobiol. 31:135-148.