When:
Monday, April 6, 2015
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM CT
Where: Ward Building, Conference Room 5-230, 303 E. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 map it
Audience: Faculty/Staff - Student - Public - Post Docs/Docs - Graduate Students
Contact:
Kristina Lynn Ballard
(312) 503-4892
Group: Department of Pharmacology Seminars
Category: Academic
*Franck Potet, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor
Regulation of the Human Cardiac Sodium Channel by Intracellular Calcium
Sodium (Na) channels are fundamental signaling molecules in excitable cells that allow the passage of Na+ ions through the cell membrane. Voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels in cardiac myocytes are responsible for initiating the action potentials that ultimately cause the rhythmic contraction of the heart. When electrically excitable cells are subjected to pathophysiologic stress a rise in intracellular free calcium (Cai) occurs, which alters NaV function by modifying its inactivation properties.
*Claire Vernon, Graduate Student
Kainate Receptor Modulation in Peripheral Sensory Neurons
Kainate receptors (KARs) are expressed throughout the nervous system, including in those pathways comprising the pain neuraxis. Both human and animal studies support a role for KARs in mediating aggravated pain rather than acute pain yet the molecular basis of this distinction remains unclear. In this study, we find that KAR subunit composition in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons varies both between cells and across development. This suggests that the effect of activating DRG KARs is highly cell-specific and age-dependent. These results provide insight into KAR function in sensory signaling pathways and are key in understanding the mechanistic basis of KAR contribution to pain.