Faculty | SIU

Research Interests and Journal Publications

1. Development biotechniques and tools for studying cellular mechanobiology

• My main works are directed toward to development of biotechnology and instruments for studying the cellular mechanobiology. Using modified patch clamp techniques, I introduced a new tool for single endothelial cell surface manipulation and developed an automated a system for single-cell electroporation. I also performed a numerical and computational simulation to verify the patch clamp technique and quantified electric filed induced-cell membrane tension.
  • Bae C, Butler PJ. Automated single-cell electroporation. Biotechniques. 2006 Oct;41(4):399-400, 402. PMCID: PMC3251211.
  • Fuentes DE, Bae C, Butler PJ. Focal Adhesion Induction at the Tip of a Functionalized Nanoelectrode. Cell Mol Bioeng. 2011 Dec;4(4):616-626. PMCID: PMC3256556.
  • Bae C, Markin V, Suchyna T, Sachs F. Modeling ion channels in the gigaseal. Biophys J. 2011 Dec 7;101(11):2645-51. PMCID: PMC3297810.
  • Bae C, Butler PJ. Finite element analysis of microelectrotension of cell membranes. Biomech Model Mechanobiol. 2008 Oct;7(5):379-86. Epub 2007 Jul 27. PMCID: PMC3251963.

2. Study synaptic mechanism of opioid-induced hyperalgesia and neuropathic pain on the spinal cord dorsal horn

• My research effort is directed toward the role of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) on spinal cord synaptic plasticity in neuropathic pain condition. We found that mROS are important molecules increasing activities of excitatory, but not inhibitory, synaptic strength in neuropathic pain condition. We also examine whether ROS would be differentially involved in secondary mechanical hyperalgesia and allodynia using a mouse intraplantar capsaicin injection model.
  • Bae C, Wang J, Shim HS, Tang SJ, Chung JM and La JH. Mitochondrial superoxide increases excitatory synaptic strength in spinal dorsal horn neurons of neuropathic mice. Mol Pain 2018; 14: 1744806918797032. DOI: 10.1177/1744806918797032.
  • La JH, Wang J, Bittar A, Shim HS, Bae C, Chung JM. Differential involvement of reactive oxygen species in a mouse model of capsaicin-induced secondary mechanical hyperalgesia and allodynia. Mol Pain. 2017 Jan-Dec;13:1-9. PMCID: PMC5466348.

3. Electrophysiological study of a human mechanosensitive ion channel, Piezo channel

• My works are directed toward electrophysiological study of a newly identified mechanosensitive ion channel, PIEZO. I have characterized biophysical properties of PIEZO1 and PIEZO2: gating mechanism, channel kinetics, and inhibition by GsMTx4. I also reported the pathophysiological role of human PIEZO1 in human blood disease. I demonstrated that PIEZO protein can still function when split into two parts and that it is activated by membrane tension. In mouse myotube, I determined that caveolae can regulate myotube mechanosensitivity. My numerous, high-impact publications received a lot of attention.
  • Cox CD*, Bae C*, Ziegler L, Hartley S, Nikolova-Krstevski V, Rohde PR, Ng CA, Sachs F, Gottlieb PA, Martinac B. Removal of the mechanoprotective influence of the cytoskeleton reveals PIEZO1 is gated by bilayer tension. Nat Commun. 2016 Jan 20;7:10366. PMCID: PMC4735864. *Authors contributed equally
  • Bae C, Gnanasambandam R, Nicolai C, Sachs F, Gottlieb PA. Xerocytosis is caused by mutations that alter the kinetics of the mechanosensitive channel PIEZO1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Mar 19;110(12):E1162-8. PMCID: PMC3606986.
  • Bae C, Suchyna TM, Ziegler L, Sachs F, Gottlieb PA. Human PIEZO1 Ion Channel Functions as a Split Protein. PLoS One. 2016 Mar 10;11(3):e0151289. PMCID: PMC4786117.
  • Bae C, Sachs F, Gottlieb PA. Protonation of the human PIEZO1 ion channel stabilizes inactivation. J Biol Chem. 2015 Feb 20;290(8):5167-73. PMCID: PMC4335250.

Complete List of Published Works in My Bibliography