Structural and Functional Studies of the a2d voltage-gated Calcium Channel Subunit

• Applicant: Dr. Simone Müller
• Subject Area: Structural Biology
• Term: from 2008 to 2011
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 66045254

Electrical signals in the cell are generated by the passage of ions across the cell membrane. Ion channels and proteins modulating their activity are required for the regulation of this process. Voltage-gated calcium channels are large, multi-subunit complexes that control calcium influx into the cell subsequent to changes in membrane potential. The transmembrane CaVα2δ subunit is a binding site for drugs that are administered in treatment of epilepsy, ataxia and neuropathic pain. Knowledge about the regulation of the CaVα2δ subunit as well as its physiological function in calcium channel modulation is still very limited. A multidisciplinary approach is planned that combines biochemical, biophysical, structural and electrophysiological analysis of the CaVα2δ subunit to uncover the structural basis for its function, and determine its interaction with both the pore-forming channel subunit CaVα1 and the anti-epileptic drugs gabapentin and pregabalin.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Professor Daniel Louis Minor