GRK 1123:

Cellular Mechanisms of Learning and Memory Consolidation in the Hippocampal Formation

| Home

---

| News

---

| Research

---

| Study Program

---

| Events

---

| Faculty

---

| Students

---

| Links

---

This Research Training Group is funded by the German Research Council DFG

---

©2006, FU Berlin
GRK 1123

---

Imprint & Disclaimer

---

Jens Baron Address: Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin (CCM) Center for Anatomy Institute for integrative Neuroanatomy - Functional Cell biology Philippstraße 12 D-10115 Berlin Tel +49 (30) 450528-250 Fax +49 (30) 450528-912 mailto: jens.baron@charite.de

PhD-Project „Go protein mediated regulation of the monoaminergic system“ Synopsis The monoaminergic system is known to be linked to diseases like depression, schizophrenia and parkinson’s disease. To better understand how underlying cellular pathways lead to these missregulations of brain function, it is of great importance to find new players, that are involved in regulating the monoaminergic system. Previous data proposed the alpha subunit of Go protein as one of these regulators, as Go alpha is the major G protein coupled to D2 dopamine receptors. The Go alpha subunit is encoded by a single transcript, that is alternatively spliced into two isoforms, entitled Go1 alpha and Go2 alpha, respectively. Our work established Go2 alpha as a key regulator in vesicular uptake of monoamines, like serotonin and dopamine, by regulating vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT) activity in brain. While Go2 alpha -/- mice appear to be phenotypically normal, Go1 alpha -/- and Go alpha double knock out (Go1/2 alpha -/-) mice are growth retarded and display a reduced lifespan. Furthermore, these animals reveal reduced motor activity compared to wild type and Go2 alpha -/- mice. The aim of my doctoral thesis is to find the missing link in signal transduction of VMAT2 via Go2 alpha activity and to further characterise Go1 and Go1/2 alpha knock out mice. Supervisor Prof. Dr. Gudrun Ahnert-Hilger MSc Degree (Diploma) „Cloning and characterisation of the cysteinprotease Calpain-7 of Plasmodium berghei malaria parasites” Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg (supervisor: PD Dr. Volker Heussler)