Nov 17, 2022  |  4:00pm - 5:00pm
Physiology Seminar Series

Dr. Hiro Furukawa: "Structural biology of neuromodulation"

~ Eligible for PSL1000H/PSL2000H/PSL4000Y Course Seminar Attendance ~    

Speaker: Dr. Hiro Furukawa

Director of Cryo-EM facility & Chair of Institutional seminar series
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 

Abstract:

Neurotransmission and cellular signaling mediated by ligand-gated and voltage-gated ion channels play fundamental roles in brain development and functions, including learning and memory formation and neurological diseases and disorders. N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are ligand-gated ion channels, which open their transmembrane ion channels upon application of glycine, glutamate, and voltage. Various NMDAR subunits, including GluN1, GluN2(A-D), and GluN3(A-B), give rise to heterotetrameric ion channels with distinct ion channel properties and spatio-temporal expression patterns. I will go over mechanistic insights into NMDAR functions gained by single-particle cryo-EM, electrophysiology, and MD simulations and present our mechanistic understanding of channel inhibition by therapeutic channel blockers (e.g., ketamine) and functional antibodies we developed. I will then share our recent progress in understanding the structures and functions of a large-pore channel called calcium homeostasis modulator (CALHM), which is involved in ATP efflux for purinergic signaling.

Join Zoom Webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81974002337

 

Hosted by the Salter Lab