Molecular determinants of amino acid-dependent signalling by the calcium-sensing receptor

氨基酸是蛋白质的组成部分，也是碳水化合物和脂肪的替代能源。蛋白质是我们身体的主要结构成分。它们还实现了细胞和身体功能的惊人多样性，例如，作为酶（生物催化剂），受体，分子伴侣和生物机器。因此，氨基酸是关键的营养素，人体已经开发出根据其在血液中的水平来严格调节细胞反应的机制。因此，识别氨基酸传感分子并识别它们用于控制细胞反应的机制是人类生物学中的一个关键问题。申请人将钙敏感受体鉴定为氨基酸传感器，并表明该受体提供了一种手段，通过该手段，氨基酸水平的波动调节关键钙调节激素PTH的分泌。在目前的建议中，将确定钙敏感受体的氨基酸激活与其关键细胞反应的机制。

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and an alternative energy source to carbohydrate and fat. Proteins are major structural components of our bodies. They also fulfil an amazing diversity of cellular and bodily functions acting, for example, as enzymes (biological catalysts), receptors, molecular chaperones and biological machines. Thus, amino acids are key nutrients and the human body has developed mechanisms for tightly regulating cellular responses depending upon their levels in blood. Identifying amino acid sensing molecules and identifying the mechanisms they use to control cellular responses is thus a key issue in human biology. The applicant identified the calcium-sensing receptor as an amino acid sensor and has shown that this receptor provides a means by which fluctuations in amino acid levels regulate the secretion of the key calcium-regulating hormone, PTH. In the current proposal, the mechanisms that link amino acid activation of the calcium-sensing receptor to its key cellular responses will be determined.