2015 Mechanisms of Membrane Transport Gordon Research Conference & Gordon Research Seminar

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Membrane transport proteins are critical players in living cells and organisms. These proteins allow small molecules to move in and out of cells, and thereby regulate intake and output of nutrients, toxins, waste products and other essential compounds. In mammals and other multi-cellular organisms, membrane transport proteins are used in addition to generate electrical and chemical signals that facilitate communication between cells and across long distances, as in the essential features of the nervous system and brain. Some transport proteins, ion channels, exist primarily to send electrical signals by moving ions like K+, Ca2+, or Cl- across the membrane, whereas others, such as transporters and pumps, are involved in both signaling and nutrient access/removal. In the kidney and digestive systems, transporters and channels play essential roles, acting in concert as the core elements of the kidney's machinery to regulate serum ion concentrations, which in turn is essential for regulating blood's pressure and composition. Dysfunction of key transporters and channels leads directly to disorders of blood pressure, including Bartter's syndrome. In the gut, transporters allow the selective uptake of nutrients into the bloodstream and dysfunction leads to malabsorption syndromes. Diseases can often be cured or controlled when transporter function is carefully modulated, as by a wide range of drugs in clinical use today (diuretics, antihypertensives, antidepressants among many others). Recently, the inhibition of transporters for glucose into the retina as been proposed as a treatment of diabetic retinopathy. To effectively understand and cure diseases of membrane transport function, we must understand how these proteins operate at the molecular level. Advancing the understanding of these proteins is the goal of the Mechanisms of Membrane Transport Gordon Research Seminar and Gordon Research Conference, which will bring together trainees with some of the foremost scientists in the field to present and compare published and unpublished results, discuss new ideas, establish collaborations and forge careers focusing on this important subject.