Abstract
pLGICs are important neuroreceptors, embedded in neuronal membranes where they mediate fast synaptic communication. They are involved in many neurological disorders and are targets sites for drugs. However, due to their complexity and the limited structural information available, how they function at the molecular level is still far from being fully understood. In this PhD project we will focus on a specific pLGIC, the glycine receptor, with the goal to understand how the binding of glycine activates the receptor and opens its channel. We will achieve this by a unique combination of innovative computational techniques and single channel experiments.
References
1.
Federico Comitani, Vittorio Limongelli and Carla Molteni, “The Free Energy Landscape of GABA Binding to a Pentameric Ligand-gated Ion Channel and its Disruption by Mutations”, J. Chem. Theory Comput. 12, 3398-3406 (2016). DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.6b00303
2.
Alessandro Crnjar, Federico Comitani, Claudio Melis and Carla Molteni, “Mutagenesis Computer Experiments in Ligand-Gated Ion Channels: the Role of Simulation Tools with Different Resolution”, Interface Focus 9, 20180067 (2019). DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2018.0067
3.
Alessandro Crnjar, Federico Comitani, William Hester and Carla Molteni, “Trans-cis Proline Switches in a Pentameric Ligand-Gated Ion Channel: how They are Affected by and how They Affect the Biomolecular Environment”, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 10, 3, 694-700 (2019). DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b03431
4.
Remigijus Lape, David Colquhoun and Lucia Sivilotti, “On the Nature of Partial Agonism in the Nicotinic Superfamily” Nature 454, 722-727 (2008). DOI: 10.1038/nature07139
5.
Michael Epstein, Ben Calderhead, Mark Girolami and Lucia Sivilotti, “Bayesian Statistical Inference in Ion-Channel Models with Exact Missed Event Correction” Biophysical J., 111,333-48 (2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2016.04.053