Spatial dynamics of receptor-regulated calcium signalling

Professor Taylor's research will investigate calcium signalling, with a particular focus on the structure and behaviour of intracellular inositol trisphosphate receptors. The key question to be addressed is how dynamic organelles and proteins mediate communication between extracellular stimuli and the calcium signals that regulate many cellular activities. These signalling pathways must be specific and sensitive and respond with appropriate speed. A handful of diffusible messengers, including cAMP, calcium and inositol trisphosphate, selectively transmit information from G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which are activated by diverse extracellular stimuli, to numerous cellular responses. Inositol trisphosphate receptors respond to many of these messengers, generating calcium signals that regulate cellular activity. Defining the dynamic architecture of these signalling pathways is essential to understanding how specificity is maintained as information passes speedily from GPCRs to responses, and to identifying drug targets that might disrupt this communication.