Peter Ronner, PhD
Vice Chair, Education
Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Contact
233 South Tenth Street
250 BLSB
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-503-5190
215-923-9162 fax
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Peter Ronner, PhD
Vice Chair, Education
Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Research & Clinical Interests
I am interested in the mechanisms which control the release of insulin and glucagon from the pancreas.
Most of my current work is focused on glucagon release. We found that non-B islet cells (most likely glucagon-secreting A-cells) contain ATP-sensitive K-channels (KATP) that are pharmacologically and electrophysiologically indistinguishable from those in insulin-secreting B-cells. I am interested in defining the role of KATP in the regulation of both insulin and glucagon release.
In our studies of normal and tumoral pancreatic endocrine cells we use electrophysiology, flow-cytometric cell-sorting, immunohistochemistry, radioimmunoassays, and sensitive luminometric microhistochemical assays, which we developed recently.
Previously, I have studied the Ca,Mg-ATPase of human erythrocyte membranes, and hormone release from the in vitro micro-perfused endocrine pancreas (weight ~5 mg) of channel catfish (Ictalurus nebulosus).
Publications
- Effects of glucose and amino acids on free ADP in βHC9 insulin-secreting cells
- Luminometric assays of ATP, phosphocreatine, and creatine for estimation of free ADP and free AMP
- Perfusion of pancreatic endocrine tissue of teleost fish
- Sulfonylurea-binding sites and ATP-sensitive K+ channels in α-TC glucagonoma and β-TC insulinoma cells
- Effect of the hypoglycaemic drug (−)‐AZ‐DF‐265 on ATP‐sensitive potassium channels in rat pancreatic β‐cells