Probing the hidden secrets behind G-protein Coupled Receptor dimerization

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One of the most important questions in biology is to understand how cells sense their environment. The G-protein coupled receptor (GPCRs) superfamily has been shown to be a major player in helping cells accomplish this. Recent structural data show that GPCRs have different ligand-modulated signalling states, and that higher order oligomers are important for activity, suggesting that GPCRs are not single on/off switches. Instead, the current hypothesis is that GPCRs operate in a complex array of homo- and heteromers tuned to their cellular environment. The most controversial aspect of GPCR function is how members of different families of GPCRs interact with each other to form so called heteromers. The overall objective of this project focuses on understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms of how GPCR heteromers function within these receptor arrays to help cells sense their environment. Upon completion of this PhD you will become well versed in four major areas (1) chemical synthesis of peptides (2) visualisation / quantification of receptor proteins in live cells (3) cell signalling and pharmacology and (4) protein biochemistry.