Professor

Basic Sciences
Division of Physiology
School of Medicine
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, CA 92350
U.S.A

Phone:  (909) 558-7042
Fax:  (909) 558-0119
E-mail: dhessinger@llu.edu

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Research Interest

Our research focuses on regulation and function of ion channels in vascular smooth muscle and satiety/obesity. In vascular physiology, we currently use a sheep model to study the role of large-conductance potassium (BK) channels in (i) pulmonary vasodilation at birth and (ii) adult and fetal cerebral artery high-altitude acclimatization. In satiety physiology, we use en-masse cultured, monoclonal sea anemones to identify and study conserved pathways involved in satiety regulation.

Selected Vascular Physiology Publications

  1. Tao, Xiaoxiao, Lin, Mike T., Thorington, Glyne U., Wilson, Sean M., Longo, Lawrence D., Hessinger, David A. Long-Term Hypoxia Increases Calcium Affinity of BK Channels in Ovine Fetal and Adult Cerebral Artery Smooth Muscle. Am J Physiol, Heart Circ; manuscript no. H-005644-2014.
  2. Tao, Xiaoxiao, Shi, Lijun, Longo, Lawrence D., Hessinger, Lawrence D. Protein Kinase C activates BK channels in fetal, but not adult, middle cerebral arteries. Submitted to Am J Physiol, Regulatory, Integrative, Comp Physiol; manuscript no. R-00352-2014.
  3. Lin, Mike T, Hessinger, David A, Pearce, William J, and Longo, Lawrance D. Modulation of BK channel calcium affinity by differential phosphorylation in developing ovine basilar artery myocytes. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 291:H732-H740, 2006.
  4. Lin. Mike T, Longo. Lawrance D, Pearce. William J, Hessinger, David A. Ca2+-activated K+ channel associated phosphatase and kinase activities during development. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 289: H1-H12, 2005.
  5. Lin, Mike T., Hessinger, David A, Pearce, William J, Longo, Lawrance D. Developmental difference in the Ca2+-activated K+ (BKCa) channel activity in ovine basilar artery. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol H701-H709, 2003.

Selected Satiety Physiology Publications

  1. Thorington, Glyne U. and Hessinger, David A. Roles of calcium in nematocyst discharge from sea anemone (Aiptasia pallida and Haliplanella luciae) tentacles. J Exp Biol, manuscript #JEXBIO/078329, accepted with revisions.
  2. Thorington, Glyne U, MacAuley, Virginia N., Hessinger, David A. Effects of satiation and starvation on nematocyst discharge, prey killing, and ingestion in two species of sea anemone. Biol Bull 219:122-131, 2010.
  3. Edwards LP, Whitter E, and DA Hessinger. Apparent membrane pore formation by Portuguese Man-of-war (Physalia physalis) venom in intact cultured cells. Toxicon 40: 1299-1305, 2002.
  4. Ozacmak, Haktan, Thorington, Glyne U, Fletcher, William H, Hessinger, David A. N-acetylneuraminic acid (NANA) stimulates in situ cyclic AMP production in tentacles of sea anemone (Aiptasia pallida): possible role in chemosensitization of nematocyst discharge. J Exp Biol 204: 2011-2020, 2001.
  5. Grotendorst, Gary R and Hessinger, David A. 1999 Purification and partial characterization of the phospholipase A2 and co-lytic factor from sea anemone (Aiptasia pallida) nematocyst venom. Toxicon 37:1779-96.
  6. Thorington Glyne U and Hessinger, David A. Efferent mechanisms of discharging cnidae: II. A nematocyst release response in the sea anemone tentacle. Biol Bull 195: 145-155,1998.
  7. Watson GM and DA Hessinger. Cnidocyte mechanoreceptors are tuned to the movements of swimming prey by chemoreceptors. Science 243: 1589:1591,1989.
  8. Hessinger DA and HM Lenhoff (editors). The Biology of Nematocysts. Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 600 pp., 1988.