Department of Internal Medicine
Cardiovascular Medicine Faculty
Medical School:
University of Minnesota
Residency:
University of Minnesota
Fellowship:
Oregon Health Sciences University
Christopher J. Benson, M.D.
Associate Professor
Dr. Benson's research interests include the study of ion channels involved in sensation. We have focused on a class of ion channels called Acid-sensing Ion Channels (ASICs), which play a role in responses to nociceptive, taste, and mechanical stimuli. We have discovered that ASICs are highly expressed in cardiac sensory neurons and we believe they are particularly important as pH sensors in the setting of myocardial ischemia. In addition, we are interested in how cardiac afferent activation might trigger deleterious neural reflexes in cardiac disease states. Our lab is also interested on the general physiology of ASIC channels, and has discovered several proteins and signaling pathways that modulate ASIC function. Our research methods utilize electrophysiology, whole animal recordings, molecular and cell biology, and protein biochemistry techniques.
Honors, Awards, and Organizations
- Alpha Omega Alpha, 1990
- Minnesota Medical Foundation Institutional Medical Student Research Award, 1990
- American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, 1995
- NIH K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award, 1999-2005
- NIH R01, "Acid-Sensing Ion Channels in Cardiac Ischemia", 2004-active
- Cardiovascular Fellowship Research Director, 2004-
Recent Publications
- Hattori T, Chen J, Harding AM, Price MP, Lu Y, Abboud FM, Benson CJ. ASIC2a and ASIC3 heteromultimerize to form pH-sensitive channels in mouse cardiac dorsal root ganglia neurons. Circ Res. 2009 Jul 31;105(3):279-86. Epub 2009 Jul 9.
- Price, M.P., Thompson, R.J., Eshcol, J.O., Wemmie, J.A., and Benson, C.J.: Stomatin modulates gating of ASIC channels. J. Biol. Chem. 279(51):53886-53891, 2004.
- Hruska-Hageman, A.M., Benson, C.J., Leonard, A.S., Price, M.P., and Welsh, M.J.: PSD-95 and Lin-7b interact with acid-sensing ion channel-3 and have opposite effects on H+-gated current. J. Biol. Chem. 279(45):46962-46968, 2004.
- Benson, C.J., Xie, J., Wemmie, J.A., Price, M.P., Henss, J.M., Welsh, M.J., and Synder, P.M.: Heteromultimers of DEG/ENaC subunits form H+-gated channels in mouse sensory neurons. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A, 99:2338-43, 2002.
- Benson, C.J., Sutherland, S.P.: Toward an understanding of the molecules that sense myocardial ischemia. Annals N.Y. Acad. Sci. 940:96-109, 2001.
- Sutherland, S.P., Benson, C.J., Adelman, J.P., and McCleskey, E.W.: Acid-sensing ion channel 3 matches the acid-gated current in cardiac ischemia-sensing. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 98:711-716, 2001.
- Askwith, C.C., Benson, C.J., Welsh, M.J., and Snyder, P.M.: DEG/ENaC ion channels involved in sensory transduction are modulated by cold temperature. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 98:6459-6463. 2001.
- Price, M.P., Lewin, G.R., McIlwrath, S.L., Cheng, C., Xie, J., Heppenstall, P.A., Stucky, C.L., Mannsfeldt, A.G., Brennan, T.J., Drummond, H.A., Qiao, J., Benson, C.J., Tarr, D.E., Hrstka, R.F., Yang, B., Williamson, R.A., Welsh, M.J. The mammalian sodium channel BNC1 is required for normal touch sensation. Nature, 407:1007-11, 2000.