[bioinfo] CS 591 BIO: Talk tomorrow by Mao-Feng Ger on analysis of glutamine receptor channels

[Saurabh Sinha]

Hello,
   Our speaker for tomorrow's seminar is Mao-Feng Ger, PhD student in  
Biophysics in Eric Jakobsson's lab. Mao-Feng will be speaking on  
recent results in bioinformatics analysis of glutamine receptor  
channels. More details of the talk are given below.

   TIME: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM.
   DATE: Friday, March 2.
   PLACE: 3401 Siebel Center.

   Thanks,
   Saurabh

Glutamate Receptor Ion Channels and their relatives in Bacteria and  
Archaea
Mao-Feng Ger
Abstract
While ion channels play different vital roles in eukaryotic species,  
many prokaryotic ion channels are found recently. Compared to their  
eukaryotic homologues, most prokaryotic ion channels remain  
functionally unknown. One of the prokaryotic ionotropic glutamate  
receptor ion channel (iGluR) has been characterized. It can bind  
glutamate, but transport potassium ions specifically. In this  
research, we tried to find more prokaryotic iGluRs based on the  
topology analysis, motif analysis and other methods. We found two  
groups of prokaryotic genes which may be the ancestor of eukaryotic  
iGluRs. They are with the domains which confer ligand-binding  
capability and ions permeability and have the same topology as  
eukaryotic iGluRs. One of these two groups contains the previously  
characterized prokaryotic iGluR, but the other group has greater  
homology to eukaryotic iGluRs.
In the future work, we will expand our iGluR search all over  
Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukaryota. Then, with these sequences,  
homology modeling, domain analysis and phylogenetic analysis will be  
processed to realize their probable structures, functions and  
evolutionary relationship.