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

Undergraduate
Columbia College (1979)
Graduate School
Stanford University (1988)

Research Interest

  • Regulation of mammalian adenylyl cyclases
  • Signal transduction by heterotrimeric G proteins

Publications

Featured Publications LegendFeatured Publications

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