Amedee des Georges, Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, City College, and at the ASRC Structural Biology Initiative, will give a seminar on "Signal transduction across the cell membrane: what can cryo-electron microscopy teach us about our heartbeat?"

ABSTRACT

Many signaling pathways rely on the transmission of signal across cell membranes, some of which allow our heart to beat and regulate its rhythm. Our laboratory is focused on understanding the allosteric mechanisms in transmembrane receptors that allow this transmission to happen. Cryo-electron microscopy gives us the unique opportunity to obtain experimental molecular movies to depict these macromolecules in action. We are using this opportunity to shed light on two receptors particularly important for heart function: the Ryanodine receptor, a massive 2.2MDa high-conductance calcium channel, and the beta-adrenergic receptor, a small G protein-coupled receptor that reacts to the hormone Adrenalin. Here, I will describe our efforts at deciphering the gating mechanism of the ryanodine receptor and at exploring in molecular detail the coupling between the beta-adrenergic receptor and its transducers G protein and Arrestin. A better understanding of those allosteric mechanisms would allow us to design more selective and safer drugs against heart diseases and other conditions.