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Thomas Lentz, MD

Professor Emeritus of Cell Biology
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Professor Emeritus of Cell Biology

Biography

Thomas L. Lentz is currently Professor Emeritus of Cell Biology at the Yale University School of Medicine. He went on the faculty of the medical school in 1964 and his laboratory performed research mainly on nerve cells in the fields of cell biology and neurobiology. In 1971, he published "Cell Fine Structure. An Atlas of Drawings of Whole-Cell Structure." He was Dean of Admissions for the medical school from 1972 to 2006 and Vice Chairman of the Department of Cell Biology from 1992 to 2006. He retired in 2006 but continued to teach medical histology to first year medical students until 2018. He is currently a Curatorial Affiliate at the Peabody Museum of Natural History and donated a large collection of antique microscopes, microscope slides, and scientific instruments to the museum. He lives in the town of Killingworth, CT and currently is Municipal Historian and Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Education & Training

MD
Yale University (1964)

Research

Overview

Lentz first studied primitive nervous systems of lower invertebrates, such as hydra. He investigated the development of the neuromuscular junction of vertebrates employing electron microscopy and cytochemistry. A procedure was developed for the high-resolution localization of acetylcholine receptors by means of horseradish peroxidase-labeled a-bungarotoxin. This technique was applied to the study of localization of receptors at the mature and developing neuromuscular junction and central synapses. He performed research on the trophic regulation of growth, regeneration, and differentiation by the nervous system. Other research involved investigation of functional domains on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor of the electric organ, muscle, and central nervous system. This work led to the identification of the a-bungarotoxin-binding and nicotine-binding site on the receptor and identification of amino acid residues critical to binding. He studied whether the acetylcholine receptor serves as a host cell receptor for the highly neurotropic rabies virus. Agents were identified that might act as anti-viral agents by blocking the virus-receptor interaction. He last investigated the entry and transport of rabies virus in neurons. His research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health and resulted in over 200 scientific publications.

Research at a Glance

Publications Timeline

A big-picture view of Thomas Lentz's research output by year.
85Publications
4,105Citations

Publications

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

1993

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