Signal Transduction in Cultured Neural Cells

神经细胞通过化学物质相互交流 与特定受体结合的信使（神经递质） 细胞表面的蛋白质。 由于许多这些 发射器不会穿透细胞，它们的信息 由“第二信使”分子携带， 从细胞外表面传来的信号 受体-神经递质复合体 这些第二信使 通常是G蛋白， 鉴定 本研究的主要目的是确定 哪种G蛋白与哪种膜结合 受体（在其内部方面），以形成生理 功能单元 这些研究将使用洗涤剂， 使膜透化以允许纯化的G- 蛋白质和合成多肽， 天然G蛋白的区域。 合成片段结合 并抑制G蛋白与受体的结合 结构 与光活化成分相关的GTP 与G蛋白结合并不可逆地激活 受体复合物的存在下，适当的 神经递质也将用于定量 神经递质激活 的长期目标 研究的目的是确定 特定细胞和器官的神经递质过程 这些行为使我们理解了 与传输和存储相关的过程 信息（学习和记忆）在整个生物体。

Nerve cells communicate with one another via chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) which bind to specific receptor proteins on the cell surface. Since many of these transmitters do not penetrate the cell their message is carried by "second messenger" molecules generated in the interior of the cell on signal from the outer surface receptor-neurotransmitter complex. These second messengers are often G-proteins of which there have been a variety identified. The primary aim of this research is to determine which specific G-protein binds to which specific membrane receptor (on its interior aspect) to form the physiologically functional unit. These studies will employ a detergent to permeabilize the membrane to allow the entrance of purified G- proteins and synthetic polypeptides that represent specific regions of the native G-protein. The synthetic segments bind and inhibit inative G-protein binding to the receptor structure. GTP associated with a photo-activated component that binds to the G-protein and irreversibly activates the receptor complex in the presence of the appropriate neurotransmitter will also be used to quantitate neurotransmitter activation. The long-term goal of the research is to identify the specificity of the neurotransmitter processes for specific cell and organ behaviors that lead to our understanding of the molecular processes associated with transmission and storage of information (learning and memory) in the whole organisms.