Dale J. Benos, Ph.D.

Professor of Physiology and Biophysics

Phone: 205-934-6220

E-mail: benos@uab.edu

Dr. Benos received his B.A. in biology from Case Western Reserve University and his Ph.D. in physiology and pharmacology from Duke.  He remained at Duke for a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Physiology and then joined the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Harvard Medical School as an Assistant Professor, rising to Associate Professor before relocating to UAB.  In 1987, he advanced to Professor of Physiology and Biosphysics and in 1996 became Chairman of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics.  He has been the recipient of numerous awards during each stage of his career, has been visiting professor and lectured at institutions throughout the world, and is the past President of the American Physiological Society.

The overarching investigative theme of Dr. Benos' highly productive research program is the regulation of ion channel activity in lipid bilayer membranes.  Studying the expression, regulation, molecular properties and function of amiloride-inhibitable Na⁺ transport, he has made numerous contributions to our understanding of ion transport in epithelial cells from an array of tissues.

Selected Publications

1. Benos, D.J., Saccomani, G., Brenner, B.M. and Sariban-Sohraby, S.  Purification and characterization of the amiloride-sensitive sodium channel from A6 cultured cells and bovine renal papilla.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 83:8525-8529, 1986.

2. Benos, D.J., Saccomani, G., Brenner, B.M. and Sariban-Sohraby, S.  Purification and characterization of the amiloride-sensitive sodium channel from A6 cultured cells and bovine renal papilla.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 83:8525-8529, 1986.

3. Morris, A.P., Cunningham, S.A., Benos, D.J. and Frizzell, R.A.  Cellular differentiation is required for cAMP but not CA2⁺ dependent Cl^- secretion in colonic epithelial cells expressing high levels of CFTR.  J. Biol. Chem. 276:5575-5583, 1992.

4. Ran, S., Fuller, C.M., Arrate, M.P., Latorre, R. and Benos, D.J.  Functional reconstitution of a chloride channel protein from bovine trachea.  J. Biol. Chem. 267:20630-20637, 1992.

5. Berdiev, B.K., Prat, A.G., Cantiello, H.F., Ausiello, D.A., Fuller, C.M., Jovov, B., Benos, D.J. and Ismailov, I.I.  Regulation of eipthelial sodium channels by short actin filaments.  J. Biol. Chem. 271:17704-17710, 1996.

6. Ji, H.-L., Chalfant, M.L., Jovov, B., Lockhart, J.P., Parker, S.B., Fuller, C.M., Stanton, B.A. and Benos, D.J.  The cystolic termini of the beta- and gamma-ENaC subunits are involved in the functional interactions between CFTR and ENaC.  J. Biol. Chem. 275:27947-27956, 2000.

7. Bubien, J.K., Watson, B., Khan, M.A., Langloh, A.-L.B., Fuller, C.M., Berdiev, B.K., Tousson, A. and Benos, D.J.  Expression and regulation of normal and polymorphic epithelial sodium channel by human lymphocytes. J. Biol. Chem. 276:8557-8566, 2001.

8. Ji, H.-L., Fuller, C. and Benos, D.J.  Intrinsic gating mechanisms of epithelial sodium channels (ENaC). Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol. 283:C646-C650, 2002.

9. Berdiev, B.K., Xia, J., McLean, L.-A., Markert, J.M., Gillespie, G.Y., Mapstone, T.B., Naren, A.P., Jovov, B., Bubien, J.K., Ji, H.-L., Fuller, C.M., Kirk, K.L. and Benos, D.J.  Acid-sensing ion channels in malignant gliomas.  J. Biol. Chem. 278:15023-15034, 2003.

10. Vila-Carriles, W.H., Kovacs, G.G., Jovov, B., Zhou, Z.H., Pahway, A.K., Colby, G., Esimai, O., Gillespie, G.Y., Mapstone, T.B., Markert, J.M., Fuller, C.M., Bubien, J.K. and Benos, D.J.  Surface expression of ASIC2 inhibits the amiloride sensitive current and migration of glioma cells. J. Biol. Chem. 281:19220-19232, 2006.