MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY OF AMPA RECEPTORS

Laboratory of Kari Keinänen
Viikki Biocenter
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences
Division of Biochemistry
P.O.Box 56 (Street address: Viikinkaari 5)
FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FINLAND


Our interests
Who we are?
Recent Publications
Funding
Links

AMPA RECEPTORS

The amino acid L-glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in vertebrates. Its fast synaptic actions are mediated by ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluR), which fall into three major classes, named after high-affinity agonists as AMPA, kainate and NMDA receptors. These are tetrameric transmembrane cation channels which open transiently in response to glutamate binding. The resulting flux of sodium, and sometimes calcium, ions into the postsynaptic cell causes depolarization of the membrane potential and triggers biochemical changes in the synapse. Such changes are believed to underlie learning and memory and include modifications of the type and abundance of synaptic iGluR, most notably of AMPA subclass.

RESEARCH FOCUS: MOLECULAR INTERACTIONS OF AMPA RECEPTORS

We are using molecular biological and biochemical tools to study the structure, function and regulation of AMPA receptors in molecular detail. In particular, we wish to understand the mechanisms which regulate the assembly and cellular transport of AMPA receptors. Current research topics include:

1. the role of the scaffolding proteins SAP97/Dlg1 and 4.1N in AMPA receptor trafficking

2. the assembly of homomeric and heteromeric AMPA receptors from subunits

3. structural characterization of molecular interactions of AMPA receptors.


RESEARCH GROUP

PHONE

FAX

E-mail addresses

GROUP MEMBERS

Name Phone extension
Chunlin Cai, M.D. 59 053
Sarah Coleman, Ph.D. 59 053
Kari Keinänen, Ph.D., Principal Investigator 59 606
Taru Kostiainen, technician 59 566, 59 051
Artur Semenov, Ph.D. 59 534
Lotta von Ossowski, M.Sc. 59 534

Collaboration


We collaborate extensively with local and foreign scientists including Claudio Rivera (Helsinki), Esa Korpi (Helsinki), Leo Khiroug (Helsinki), and Tetsuya Haruyama (Fukuoka, Japan)

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

List of publications 1985-2006

FUNDING

The Academy of Finland
University of Helsinki
Finnish Graduate School of Neuroscience
National Graduate School of Informational and Structural Biology

LINKS

Local

Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences
Viikki Biocenter

Databases and Molecular Tools

ExPASy
European Bioinformatics Institute
Finnish Bioinformatics Services (CSC)
Protein Data Bank
Restriction Maps (TACG)
ClustalW Sequence Alignment
SMART (Protein Domain Analysis)
PFAM (Protein Domains and Families)
Oligo Calculator

Updated on 11 June, 2009 (Kari Keinänen)