Neurobiology sector

Molecular mechanisms underlying GABAA and glycine receptors clustering:

This project addresses the issue of how the scaffolding protein gephyrin organises a functional cluster of GABA_A and glycine receptors in the postsynaptic membrane. In particular we are currently investigating the possibility that gephyrin phosphorylation may have an impact on its functions, either in the context of the formation of the subsynaptic membrane scaffold or in regulating the dynamic interactions with its binders or in other aspect of gephyrin turn-over/stability. Furthermore we are analysing the functional relevance of gephyrin interaction with some of its known partners, such as GABARAP and collybistin, and with the prolyl-isomerase Pin1, a recently identified phosphorylation-dependent interactor.