Overview
Neuronal communication, mediated by synaptic contacts within complex neural networks, is responsible for all our actions and behaviors, including movements, learning, the formation or evocation of memories, and even sleep. For synapses to form and function properly, neurons need to have molecules at the cell surface, such as cell-adhesion molecules. These proteins facilitate the formation of synapses at the appropriate time of development between certain types of neurons, for instance. Thus, the molecular and cellular mechanisms ensuring the transport and presence of these molecules on the neuronal surface are essential for the formation and functioning of the nervous system. When changes occur in these mechanisms that result in alterations in the distribution or function of these proteins, deficiencies in neuronal communication arise, which manifest as neurological changes observed in brain diseases and during aging.
In the MemBRAIN laboratory, we study the molecular and cellular mechanisms that control the distribution of cell-surface proteins in neurons (localization and abundance). Additionally, we also investigate cell-surface proteins with unknown function in the brain. We address these questions during the development of the nervous system, under pathological conditions such as neurodegenerative disorders, and also during aging.
To accomplish this, we use research models such as primary rodent neuronal cultures, human neuronal cultures, rodent brain slices, viral vectors, and genetic and disease models in rodents. Our main techniques include live-cell imaging in neurons, proteomics, electrophysiology, various biochemical assays, as well as cutting-edge approaches in cellular and molecular biology, such as CRISPR-Cas9 for gene editing.
This approach will not only allow us to understand the essential mechanisms underlying the formation and function of the nervous system but also to identify new therapeutic targets and strategies to mitigate the neurological changes that arise in brain diseases and aging.
