Seminar by Dr. Shreyas Kaptan

Frei Universität Berlin (Germany)

Allosteric Regulation of AMPA-Receptor-Channel

AMPA-receptor-channel (AMPAR) is a tetrameric ionotropic channel embedded in the neuronal postsynaptic membrane. It is a ligand-activated channel, modulated by binding of glutamate at its four ligand-binding sites. It has exceptionally fast kinetics in the sub-millisecond range and its conductance is well documented via several electrophysiology studies. In this talk, I will demonstrate that the channel is allosterically controlled by the dynamics of the ligand-binding domain (LBD). Also, I will use an array of machine learning methods and Markov state models (MSMs) to decipher its mechanism of action as well as the metastable states involved in its
opening-closing kinetics.