Changhoon, Jee, PhD

Research Keywords

Conditioned-Place Preference (CPP), Tobacco abuse, nicotine dependence, ethanol preference, Compulsive alcohol seeking, Neuropeptidergic regulation, 

Research Interests

My primary interest is synaptic plasticity associated with the progress of Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Understanding underlying mechanism of SUD offers extraordinary opportunities for the development of therapeutic treatments of SUD.

Many SUD patients wish to stop abusing but fail in their attempt, even when effective cessation interventions are available. The compulsive seeking and taking despite the harmful consequences has been considered to explain this feature but underlying mechanism yet to be elusive. The compulsive seeking is characterized by an imbalance between the superior drive to substance and disruption in control of substance use. In order to model this highly complex neuromodulation, we addressed sophisticated behavioral paradigms in C. elegans, that have a simple nervous system but the most completely defined connectome, with the advantage of the straightforward genetic, behavioral, and neurophysiological investigation. We investigate molecular mechanism associated with compulsive alcohol/nicotine seeking behavior with genetic manipulations, microsurgeries, cell-type specific electrophysiological recordings, and optogenetic tool from Worms to Rodent models.

Representative Publications

1. Jee C, Goncalves JF, LeBoeuf B, Garcia LR. CRF-like receptor SEB-3 in sex-common interneurons potentiates stress handling and reproductive drive in C. elegans. Nat Commun. 2016 Jun 20;7:11957. doi: 10.1038/ncomms11957. PMID: 27321013; PMCID: PMC4915151.
2. LeBoeuf B, Correa P, Jee C, García LR. Caenorhabditis elegans male sensory-motor neurons and dopaminergic support cells couple ejaculation and post-ejaculatory behaviors. Elife. 2014 Jun 10;3:e02938. doi: 10.7554/eLife.02938. PMID: 24915976; PMCID: PMC4103683.
3. Zhang L, Gualberto DG, Guo X, Correa P, Jee C, Garcia LR. TMC-1 attenuates C.elegans development and sexual behaviour in a chemically defined food environment. Nat Commun. 2015 Feb 19;6:6345. doi: 10.1038/ncomms7345. PMID: 25695879.
4. Jee C, Lee J, Lim JP, Parry D, Messing RO, McIntire SL. SEB-3, a CRF receptor-like GPCR, regulates locomotor activity states, stress responses and ethanol tolerance in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genes Brain Behav. 2013 Mar;12(2):250-62. doi: 10.1111/j.1601-183X.2012.00829.x. Epub 2012 Sep 4. PMID: 22853648; PMCID: PMC3848202.
5. Singaravelu G, Song HO, Ji YJ, Jee C, Park BJ, Ahnn J. Calcineurin interacts with KIN-29, a Ser/Thr kinase, in Caenorhabditis elegans. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2007 Jan 5;352(1):29-35. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2006.10.120. Epub 2006 Nov 13. PMID: 17113567.
6. Jee C, Choi TW, Kalichamy K, Yee JZ, Song HO, Ji YJ, Lee J, Lee JI, L'Etoile ND, Ahnn J, Lee SK. CNP-1 (ARRD-17), a novel substrate of calcineurin, is critical for modulation of egg-laying and locomotion in response to food and lysine sensation in Caenorhabditis elegans. J Mol Biol. 2012 Mar 30;417(3):165-78. doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2012.01.012. Epub 2012 Jan 28. PMID: 22300764.
7. Kim YH, Song HO, Ko KM, Singaravelu G, Jee C, Kang J, Ahnn J. A novel calcineurin-interacting protein, CNP-3, modulates calcineurin deficient phenotypes in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mol Cells. 2008 Jun 30;25(4):566-71. Epub 2008 May 6. PMID: 18460897.
8. Jee C, Vanoaica L, Lee J, Park BJ, Ahnn J. Thioredoxin is related to life span regulation and oxidative stress response in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genes Cells. 2005 Dec;10(12):1203-10. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2443.2005.00913.x. PMID: 16324156.
9. Lee J, Song HO, Jee C, Vanoaica L, Ahnn J. Calcineurin regulates enteric muscle contraction through EXP-1, excitatory GABA-gated channel, in C. elegans. J Mol Biol. 2005 Sep 16;352(2):313-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2005.07.032. PMID: 16084527.
10. Lee J, Jee C, Song HO, Bandyopadhyay J, Lee JI, Yu JR, Lee J, Park BJ, Ahnn J. Opposing functions of calcineurin and CaMKII regulate G-protein signaling in egg-laying behavior of C.elegans. J Mol Biol. 2004 Nov 19;344(2):585-95. doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2004.09.050. PMID: 15522306.
11. Jee C, Lee J, Lee JI, Lee WH, Park BJ, Yu JR, Park E, Kim E, Ahnn J. SHN-1, a Shank homologue in C. elegans, affects defecation rhythm via the inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor. FEBS Lett. 2004 Mar 12;561(1-3):29-36. doi: 10.1016/S0014-5793(04)00107-3. PMID: 15013747.
12. Choi KY, Ji YJ, Jee C, Kim DH, Ahnn J. Characterization of CeHDA-7, a class II histone deacetylase interacting with MEF-2 in Caenorhabditis elegans. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2002 May 17;293(4):1295-300. doi:10.1016/S0006-291X(02)00374-1. PMID: 12054517.
13. Bandyopadhyay J, Lee J, Lee J, Lee JI, Yu JR, Jee C, Cho JH, Jung S, Lee MH, Zannoni S, Singson A, Kim DH, Koo HS, Ahnn J. Calcineurin, a calcium/calmodulin- dependent protein phosphatase, is involved in movement, fertility, egg laying, and growth in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mol Biol Cell. 2002 Sep;13(9):3281-93. doi: 10.1091/mbc.e02-01-0005. PMID: 12221132; PMCID: PMC124158.
14. Lee J, Jee C, Lee JI, Lee MH, Lee MH, Koo HS, Chung CH, Ahnn J. A deubiquitinating enzyme, UCH/CeUBP130, has an essential role in the formation of a functional microtubule-organizing centre (MTOC) during early cleavage in C.elegans. Genes Cells. 2001 Oct;6(10):899-911. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2443.2001.00471.x. PMID: 11683918.
15. Lee J, Jee C, McIntire SL. Ethanol preference in C. elegans. Genes Brain Behav. 2009 Aug;8(6):578-85. doi: 10.1111/j.1601-183X.2009.00513.x. Epub 2009 Jun 22. PMID: 19614755; PMCID: PMC2880621.