Department of Neurobiology and Behavior
University of California
Irvine , CA 92697-4545
(949) 463-1664
ismith@uci.edu

Employment:
University of California, Irvine, Dept. of Neurobiology and Behavior
2010-present    Asst. Prof. Researcher
2006-2010       Asst. Project Scientist  
2003-2006       Post Doctoral Research Fellow
                       
Education and Training:
University of Leeds, United Kingdom, The School of Medicine, Institute for Cardiovascular Research.
1999-2003       Ph.D . CASE Award. Pfizer Global Research, Sandwich, Kent, UK.
           
University of Leeds, United Kingdom, Department of Pharmacology.
1996-1999       B.Sc. Hons. Pharmacology 2.1.  Final  year dissertation project in collaboration with Pfizer Global Research

Research Areas:
2006-present University of California , Irvine (Department of Neurobiology and Behavior – Ian Parker, PI) Development of optical technologies to non-invasively record plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticular ion channel activity, motility and spatial distribution.

2003-2006 University of California, Irvine (Department of Neurobiology and Behavior - Frank LaFerla, PI) In vitro fluorescent calcium imaging and molecular biological studies examining mechanisms of neuronal calcium signaling, and mutations related to Alzheimer's disease and neurodegenerative diseases.

1999-2003 University of Leeds, United Kingdom (Institute for Cardiovascular Research – Chris Peers, PI) Thesis studies sponsored by Pfizer Global Research, Kent, UK.
Hypoxia and amyloid β peptide modulation of Ca 2+ signaling in the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y and rat type I cortical astrocytes. Examining the molecular link between stroke and Alzheimer’s disease.

1996-1999 University of Leeds , United Kingdom (Department of Pharmacology – Final year dissertation project in collaboration with Pfizer Global Research) An in vitro study to characterise the binding of [ 3H]-dofetilide to various tissue preparations and cell lines.

Publications

Awards/Fellowships

Invited Seminars/Speaking engagements

Organizations and Committees

Courses/Symposium attended

Teaching experiance

Publications

Articles:

Smith, I. F ., Shuai, J. & Parker, I.
Active generation and propagation of calcium signals within tunneling membrane nanotubes.
Biophysical Letters. In Press. 2011. [PDF] [PDF_SI]

Cardenas, C. & Miller, R., Smith, I. F., & Bui, T., & Molgo, J., & Muller, M., & Vais, H., Parker, I., Thompson, C., & Birnbaum, M., & Hallows, K. & Foskett, J, K.
Essential regulation of cell bioenergetics by constitutive InsP3R Ca 2+ release controls mTOR-independent autophagy.
Cell. 142:270-283. 2010 . [PDF]. Previewed in [PDF]

Wiltgen, S. M., Smith, I. F. & Parker, I.
Super-resolution imaging of Ca 2+ flux through inositol trisphosphate receptors with millisecond temporal resolution and nanometer spatial resolution.
Biophysical Journal. 99:437-446. 2010. [PDF]

Reissner, K. J., Pu, L., Schaffhausen, J. H., Boyle, H. D., Smith, I. F ., Parker, I. & Carew, T. J.
A novel postsynaptic mechanism for heterosynaptic sharing of short-term plasticity.
Journal of Neuroscience, 30:8797-8806. 2010. [PDF]

Parker, I. & Smith, I. F.
Recording single-channel activity of inositol trisphosphate receptors in intact cells with a microscope, not a patch clamp.
Journal of General Physiology Perspectives.136:119-127. 2010. [PDF]

Smith, I. F ., Wiltgen, S. M., Shuai, J. & Parker, I.
Ca 2+ puffs originate from pre-established, stable clusters of inositol trisphosphate receptors.
Science Signaling, 98: ra77. 2009. [PDF]

Smith, I. F . & Parker, I.
Imaging the quantal substructure of single IP 3R channel activity during Ca 2+ puffs in intact mammalian cells.
PNAS, 106: 6404-6409. 2009. [PDF]

Smith, I. F ., Wiltgen, S. M. & Parker, I.
Localization of puff sites adjacent to the plasma membrane; functional and spatial characterization of Ca 2+ signaling in SH-SY5Y cells utilizing membrane-permeant caged IP 3.
Cell Calcium. 45: 65-76. 2009. [PDF]

Green, K. N., Demuro, A., Hitt, B. D., Smith, I. F ., Parker. I. & LaFerla, F. M.
Presenilin regulates, and is necessary for, normal SERCA pump activity.
J.Cell. Biol., 181: 1107-1116. 2008. [PDF]. Previewed in [PDF]

Stutzmann, G., Smith, I. F ., Caccamo, A., Oddo, S. Parker, I. & LaFerla. F. M.
Enhanced ryanodine-mediated calcium release in mutant PS1-expressing Alzheimer's mouse models.
Ann . N . Y . Acad . Sci., 1097: 5180-5189. 2007. [PDF]

Stutzmann, G., Smith, I. F ., Caccamo, A., Oddo, S. Parker, I. & LaFerla. F. M.
Enhanced ryanodine receptor recruitment contributes to Ca 2+ disruptions in young, adult, and aged Alzheimer's disease mice.
Journal of. Neuroscience., 26:5180-5189. 2006. [PDF]

Oddo. S., Caccamo, A., Smith, I. F ., Green. K. N. & LaFerla. F. M.
A dynamic relationship between intracellular and extracellular pools of A b .
Journal of American Pathology , 168, 184-194. 2006. [PDF]

Smith, I. F ., Green, K. N. & LaFerla, F. M.
Calcium dysregulation and Alzheimer’s disease: Recent advances gained from genetically modified animals.
Cell Calcium. 38, 427-437. 2005. Review. [PDF]

Smith, I. F ., Hitt, B. D., Green, K. N., Oddo, S. & LaFerla F. M.
Enhanced caffeine-induced Ca 2+ release in a 3xTg-AD model of Alzheimer’s disease.
Journal of Neurochemistry, 94, 1711-1718 . 2005. [PDF]

Smith, I. F., Boyle, J. P., Kang, P., Rome, S., Pearson, H. A. & Peers, C.
Hypoxic regulation of Ca 2+ signalling in cultured rat astrocytes.
Glia., 49, 153-157. 2005. [PDF]

Smith, I. F., Boyle, J. P., Pearson, H. A. & Peers, C .
Hypoxic remodeling of Ca 2+ mobilization in type I cortical astrocytes: involvement of ROS and pro-amyloidogenic processing.
Journal of Neurochemistry, 88, 869-877, 2004. [PDF]

Cemeli, E., Smith, I. F., Peers, C., Urenjak, J., Godukhin, O. V., Obrenovitch, T.P. & Anderson, D.
Oxygen-induced DNA damage in freshly isolated brain cells compared with cultured astrocytes in the Comet assay.
Teratog. Carcinog. Mutagen., 2, 43-52. 2003. [PDF]

Plant, L. D, Boyle, J. P , Smith, I. F , Peers, C & Pearson, H. A.
The Production of amyloid b peptides is a critical requirement for the viability of central neurones.
Journal of Neuroscience, 23, 5531-5535, 2003. [PDF]

Smith, I. F., Boyle, J. P., Plant, L. D. Pearson, H. A. & Peers, C.
Chronic hypoxia potentiates capacitative Ca 2+ entry in type I cortical astrocytes.
Journal of Neurochemistry, 85, 1109-1116, 2003. [PDF]

Smith, I. F., Boyle, J. P., Plant, L. D. Pearson, H. A. & Peers, C.
Hypoxic remodelling of Ca 2+ stores in rat type I cortical astrocytes.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 278, 4875-4881. 2003. [PDF]

Smith, I. F ., Boyle, J. P., Vaughn, P. F. T., Pearson, H. A., Cowburn, R. & Peers, C.
Ca 2+ stores and capacitative Ca 2+ entry in human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells expressing a familial Alzheimer’s disease presenilin-1 mutation.
Brain Research, 949, 105-111, 2002. [PDF]

Colebrooke, R. L., Smith, I.F., Kemp, P. J. & Peers, C.
Chronic hypoxia remodels voltage-gated Ca 2+ entry in a human airway chemoreceptor cell line.
Neuroscience letters, 31, 69-72. 2002. [PDF]

Smith, I. F ., Boyle, J. P., Vaughan, P. F., Pearson, H. A. & Peers C.
Effects of chronic hypoxia on Ca 2+ stores and capacitative Ca 2+ entry in human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells.
Journal of Neurochemistry, 79, 877-84. 2001. [PDF]

Taylor, S. C., Green, K. N., Smith, I. F. & Peers, C.
Prion protein fragment 106-126 potentiates catecholamine secretion from PC12 cells.
Am. J. Cell. Physiol, 2001. [PDF]

Green, K. N., Taylor, S. C., Smith, I. F. & Peers C.
Differential coupling of voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels to catecholamine secretion from separate PC12 cell batches.
Neuroscience letters, 301, 13-16. 2001. [PDF]

Book Chapters:

Green, K. N. Smith. I. F. & LaFerla, F. M.
Role of Ca2+ in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease and transgenic models.
Subcellular Biochemistry: Calcium Signalling and Disease. Molecular Pathology of Ca2+. 45: 507-521. 2007.

Peers, C., Kang, P., Boyle, J. P., Porter, K. E., Pearson, H. A., Smith, I. F. & Kemp, P. J.
Hypoxic regulation of Ca2+ signalling in astrocytes and endothelial cells.
Novartis Found. Symp.,  272:119-27, 2006. Review.

Peers, C., Kang, P., Boyle, J. P., Porter, K. E., Pearson, H. A., Smith, I. F. & Kemp, P. J.
Hypoxic regulation of Ca2+ signalling in astrocytes and endothelial cells.
Adv. Exp. Med. Biol., 580:185-90. 2006.

Peers, C., Smith, I. F., Boyle, J. P. & Pearson, H. A.
Remodelling of Ca2+ homeostasis in type I cortical astrocytes by hypoxia: evidence for association with Alzheimer’s disease.
Biological Chemistry., 385, 285-289. 2004.

Peers, C., Smith, I.F., Boyle, J.P. & Pearson, H.A.
Hypoxic remodeling of Ca2+ homeostasis in rat type I cortical astrocytes. 
Adv. Exp. Med. Biol., 536:467-72, 2003.

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Research Areas:

2006-present University of California , Irvine (Department of Neurobiology and Behavior – Ian Parker, PI) Development of optical technologies to non-invasively record plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticular ion channel activity, motility and spatial distribution.

2003-2006 University of California, Irvine (Department of Neurobiology and Behavior - Frank LaFerla, PI) In vitro fluorescent calcium imaging and molecular biological studies examining mechanisms of neuronal calcium signaling, and mutations related to Alzheimer's disease and neurodegenerative diseases.

1999-2003 University of Leeds, United Kingdom (Institute for Cardiovascular Research – Chris Peers, PI) Thesis studies sponsored by Pfizer Global Research, Kent, UK.
Hypoxia and amyloid β peptide modulation of Ca 2+ signaling in the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y and rat type I cortical astrocytes. Examining the molecular link between stroke and Alzheimer’s disease.

1996-1999 University of Leeds , United Kingdom (Department of Pharmacology – Final year dissertation project in collaboration with Pfizer Global Research) An in vitro study to characterise the binding of [ 3H]-dofetilide to various tissue preparations and cell lines.

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Awards/Fellowships:

• Invited to attend all expenses paid conference at Howard Hughes Medical Institute/ Janelia Farm Research Campus, Novel Approaches to Bioimgaing May 2 - 5, 2010
• Finalist: 2010 Cell and Molecular Physiology Section: American Physiology Society-New Investigator Awards
• CASE (Collaborative Award for Science and Education) award for thesis studies.
• Fellowship Award (The Physiological Society) Experimental Biology Meeting (FASEB), Orlando, USA. 2001.

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Invited Seminars/Speaking engagements:

• 2012 Australia Physiological Society Symposium
• International Society for Neurochemistry, Dendritic Spine in health and disease, Buenos Aires, 2012
• International Forum on Higher Education, Xian, China. 2011
• International Forum on Pharmaceutical, Nutraceutical and Biotechnology, China. 2011
• International Clinical Neuroscience Forum, Chonquing, China. 2011
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute/Janelia Farm Research Campus, Novel Approaches to Bioimgaing (2010)
• FASEB summer research conference, Calcium and Cell Function, Snowmass, USA (2008)
• Physiological Society meeting, Leeds, UK (2002).
• University of California, Irvine, California, USA (2002).
• University of Leeds, Ion Channels Seminar Series, Leeds, UK (2001).
• University of Leeds, Neurodegeneration group, Leeds, UK (2001).
• University of Leeds, Institute of Cardiovascular Research Seminar Series, Leeds, UK (2001).

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Organizations and Committees:

• BioImaging Interest Group (UCI) (2004-present).
• The Biophysical Society (2007-present)
• TheUK Physiological Society member (1999-present).
• Society for Neuroscience member(2003-present).
• The American Physiological Society (2007-present)
• Invited reviewer: The Wellcome Trust (grant applications), The Journal of Neuroscience Research (journal articles), ACS Chemical Neuroscience (journal articles).

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Courses/Symposium attended:
Molecular Approaches to Ion Channel Function Teaching Symposium . The Physiological Society, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds . (2000).
Calcium as a Molecule for Cellular Integration . European Research Meeting. Wye College , Kent . (2000).
Pfizer Ion Channel Workshop , University of Leeds . (1999).

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Teaching experience:
Laboratory techniques training , (fluorescent imaging and total internal reflection microscopy) Cellular and Molecular Biology, UC Irvine (2007, 2008, 2009)
Laboratory techniques training (fluorescent calcium imaging, immunohistochemistry) University of Leeds , UK (2000-2003)