Mechanism of signal transduction and receptor activation in ligand gated ion channel receptors

Funding Activity

Website
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/455310

Funding Status
Closed

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Funded Activity Summary

This project seeks to provide fundamental new information about the means by which neurotransmitter receptors, which mediate fast synaptic neurotransmission, operate. This knowledge is important since the Cys-loop family of ligand gated ion channel receptors are responsible for a wide range of neuronal signalling and the control of both excitatory and inhibitory receptors. The Cys-loop receptors are modulated by both therapeutic drugs (eg. benzodiazepines, barbiturates, antiemetics) and by recreational drugs (eg. alcohol, nicotine). They are also targets for development of new therapeutic drugs, such as allosteric modulators of nAChR for memory enhancement, or modulating GlyR to relieve spasticity or chronic pain. The project will use a range of molecular advances made by this and other laboratories to clarify how neurotransmitters enable their receptors to activate and signal. This fundamental information is of major medical significance as defective synaptic transmission, caused by mutations in ligand gated ion channel receptors, gives rise to a number of neurological and psychiatric disease states. The ligand gated receptors are also major targets for therapeutic drugs and the information gained in this study may also provide insights into new ways in which drugs could be used to enhance or inhibit synaptic signalling.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2007

End Date: 01-01-2009

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $551,560.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Cellular Nervous System

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

channelopathies | glycine receptors | hyperekplexia | ion channel diseases | ligand gated ion channels | molecular neuroscience | neurotransmission | patch clamping | startle disease | substituted cysteine accessibility method

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