Education

Dr. Heppner received his B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota, and in 1986 received his Ph.D. in Toxicology and Neurobiology from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. His postdoctoral work was in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Vermont and joined the faculty in the Department of Pharmacology in 1993 as a Research Associate.

Research Interests

Dr. Heppner’s research is focused on the role played by ion channels in modulating the activity of smooth muscle from the urinary bladder and coronary arteries. These studies are concerned primarily with potassium and calcium ion channels and examine: 1) how these channels are regulated, and 2) the role played by these channels in controlling membrane excitability. A wide variety of electrophysiological techniques and calcium imaging techniques are used to measure ion channel activity in cell cultures, acutely dissociated cells and in intact tissue preparations. In addition, Dr. Heppner is interested in mechanisms underlying the potentiation of synaptic transmission in the autonomic nervous system.

Publications

For a complete list of Thomas J. Heppner's publications, please visit PubMed.

2019 Giard BM, Campbell SE, Perkins M, Hsiang H, Tooke K, Dresher C, Hennig GW, Heppner TJ, Nelson MT, Vizzard MA.  TRPV4 blockade reduces voiding frequency, ATP release, and pelvic sensitivity in mice with chronic urothelial overexpression of NGF.  Am J Physiol Renal Physiol.  2019 Dec 1; 317(6):  F1695-F1706.  doi:  10.1152/ajprenal.00147.2019.  PMID:  31630542, PMCID:  PMC6962511

2019 Tykocki NR, Heppner TJ, Dalsgaard T, Bonev AD, Nelson MT.  The K_v7 channel activator retigabine suppresses mouse urinary bladder afferent nerve activity without affecting detrusor smooth muscle K⁺ channel currents. J Physiol.  2019 Feb; 597(3): 935-950.  doi:  10.1113/JP277021.  PMID:  30536555, PMCID:  PMC655639

2019 Heppner TJ, Hennig GW, Nelson MT, May V, Vizzard MA.  PACAP38-Mediated Bladder Afferent Nerve Activity Hyperexcitability and Ca2+ Activity in Urothelial Cells from Mice.  J Mol Neurosci.  2019 Jul; 68(3):  348-356.  doi:  10.1007/s12031-018-1119-x.  PMID:  30022438, PMCID:  PMC6339595

2018 Tykocki NR, Heppner TJ, Erickson CS, van Batavia J, Vizzard MA, Nelson MT, Mingin GC.  Development of stress-induced bladder insufficiency requires functional TRPV1 channels.  Am J Physiol Renal Physiol.  2018 Dec 1; 315(6):  F1583-1591.  doi:  10.1152/ajprenal.00231.2018.  PMID:  30089031, PMCID:  PMC6336983

2017 Heppner TJ, Hennig GW, Nelson MT, Vizzard MA, Rhythmic Calcium Events in the Lamina Propria Network of the Urinary Bladder of Rat Pups.  Front Syst Neurosci.  2017 Dec11; 11: 87.  doi:  10.3389/fnsys.2017.00087.  PMID:  29321730, PMCID:  PMC4732214

2017  Baylie R, Ahmed M, Bonev AD, Hill-Eubanks DC, Heppner TJ, Nelson MT, Greenstein AS.  Lack of direct effect of adiponectin on vascular smooth muscle cell BK_ca channels or CA²⁺ signaling in the regulation of small artery pressure-induced constriction.  Physiol Rev.  2017 Aug;  5(16), doi:  10.14814/phy2.13337.  PMID:  28830977, PMCID:  PMC5582259

2017  Tykocki NR, Bonev AD, Longden TA, Heppner TJ, Nelson MT.  Inhibition of vascular smooth muscle inward-rectifier K+ channels restores myogenic tone in mouse urinary bladder arterioles.  Am J Physiol Renal Physiol.  2017 May 1;  312(5):  F836-F847.  doi:  10/1152/ajprenal.00682.2016.  PMID:  28148533, PMCID:  PMC5451557