Structure and Function of Membrane Proteins

The University Of Texas Health Science Center At Houston, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

Communication between nerve cells serves as the basis of all brain activity. One of the fundamental steps involved in signal transmission between the nerve cells, is the conversion of a chemical signal liberated at the end of one nerve cell, into an electrical signal at the second nerve cell. This step is mediated by a class of membrane bound proteins known as ligand gated ion channels. An important member of this family is the glutamate receptor, which upon binding to the chemical signaling molecule glutamate undergoes a series of changes that culminate in formation of an ion channel across the cell membrane that leads to the generation of an electrical signal. The PI's research is aimed at understanding the series of events and the role of these in the generation of the electrical signal. Her laboratory has probed the vibrations of the glutamate and protein to study their atomic-level environment and hence obtained detailed insight into the interaction between the signaling molecule glutamate and the receptor. The PI will now extend these investigations to study the changes in these interactions in a time-resolved manner, as the protein evolves from the unbound state to the glutamate bound form. These high-resolution kinetic structural studies coupled with functional investigations of the protein will lead to a basic understanding of the role of the specific interactions between glutamate and the receptor in the formation and closure of the transmembrane ion channels and hence provide insight into the mechanism by which these proteins convert chemical signals into electrical signals. As a part of this project the PI will be training the future scientists, students and postdoctoral fellows, in cutting edge interdisciplinary research that covers the synergistic areas of chemistry, biochemistry and neuroscience. The goal of the training is to develop the student's and fellow's technical and critical thinking and more importantly reinforce their interest in science.