Signaling Networks Responsible for Chronic and Acute Ion Channel Regulation by Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinases

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IBN 98-07894 RANE The cells of the nervous system ("neurons") acquire the capability for generating electrical impulses in response to biological molecules known as "growth factors". Growth factors are proteins produced naturally by the nervous system and the tissues which it controls. When growth factors contact neurons, they evoke a series of yet undetermined chemical events, which cause the neurons to produce other proteins called ion channels. These ion channels are part of the neuron's structure, and they give it the ability to generate electrical signals. In addition to causing long-term induction of ion channels, growth factors also generate chemical signals which have immediate effects on ion channels already present in the cell. Because virtually all nervous function is dependent on the electrical signals generated by ion channels, it is critical to understand channel regulation by growth factors and growth-factor-generated chemical signals. Dr. Rane and colleagues will use several techniques, including cellular patch clamp electrophysiology, genetics, and pharmacology, to investigate these issues. The work will delineate the actions of growth factors and growth-factor-mediated signaling in governing the electrical behavior of nerve cells, and thus the functioning of the nervous system.