Tuning the activating stimulus of voltage-gated sodium channels

该提案旨在推进关于神经元（脑细胞和神经）表面的蛋白质（离子通道）如何作为细胞间电通信的分子通道发挥作用的基础知识。我们的目标是研究这些蛋白质的分子探针和结构部分如何影响离子通道的局部化学环境，以及这如何导致离子通道对激活它们的刺激（细胞膜电压）的敏感性微调。

This proposal aims to advance fundamental knowledge about how proteins (ion channels) found on the surface of neurons (brain cells and nerves) function as molecular conduits of cell-to-cell electrical communication. We aim to study how molecular probes and structural parts of these proteins affect the local chemical environment of ion channels, and how this leads to fine tuning of the ion channel's sensitivity to the stimulus that activates them (cell membrane voltage). The conceptual knowledge gained from this project would advance our understanding of a fundamental physiological process and facilitate the development of drugs that regulate ion channel function, such as anti-epileptics, analgesics and insecticides.