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Single molecule Förster resonance energy transfer, and its application to ligand gated ion channel structure Hasselt University

The glycine receptor (GlyR) is a protein involved in neuron communication. It is present in the membrane of neuron cells of the spinal cord and brain. Upon binding of glycine it transports chloride ions, thereby fine-tuning neuron activity. The alpha 3 type GlyR is a promising target to treat pain, but more fundamental insights on receptor structure and function are needed. As it comprises five subunits, different combinations of subunits lead ...

Chemical tools for investigating epigenetic modulation and calcium mediated synaptic plasticity KU Leuven

Ludo Van Den Bosch, Matthias Schönberger

Laboratory for Neurobiology (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research), Radiopharmaceutical Research

Epigenetic modulation by HDAC (Histone Deacetylase) inhibition has been linked to improved memory formation due to enhanced synaptic plasticity through calcium mediated pathways. As such, HDACs could be potential drug targets for treating neurodegenerative diseases and depression. However, the physiological changes underlying regiospecific neuronal remodeling by systemic HDAC inhibition are still poorly understood. Therefore, we will ...

The molecular signature of neuropeptidergic control of long-term memory KU Leuven

Liliane Schoofs

Animal Physiology and Neurobiology

Learning and memory processes are crucial for animals to adapt their choices and behavioral responses according to previous experiences to increase their chances of survival. Neuropeptides are essential signaling molecules in the brain and are emerging as important modulators of learned behaviors. For many neuropeptides, however, the central function in the nervous system remains largely unknown and their precise role is not well understood. ...

Restoring cognitive functions in neurodegenerative disease models. KU Leuven

Liliane Schoofs

Animal Physiology and Neurobiology

The word ‘homeostasis’ is derived from two Greek words: ὅμοιος (homoios), which means ‘similar’ and στάσις (stasis), which translates to ‘standing still’. Homeostasis thus refers to the tendency of a system to maintain a stable, relatively constant internal environment, regardless of the outside changing conditions. The nervous and endocrine systems are responsible for maintaining homeostasis in the human body. For this, they rely on chemical ...

Structural and biophysiscal characterisation of toxic oligomers of the Alzheimer’s beta peptide Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Joost Schymkowitz

Department of Bio-engineering Sciences

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease in the growing population of elderly people. A pathologic hallmark of AD is the aggregation of amyloid ? into insoluble amyloid deposits. The neurotoxic amyloid-? (A?) is a small protein fragment that self-assembles to form amyloid fibres which accumulate in the brain in Alzheimer's disease (AD) (Iwatsubo et al., 1994). Besides amyloid fibrils, A? peptide forms small ...

Mechanism of action of ghrelin and obestatin in the regulation of appetite under normal and pathological conditions. KU Leuven

Inge Depoortere

Translational Research in GastroIntestinal Disorders

The peptide ghrelin, discovered in 1999, was isolated from the rat stomach and identified as the first orexigenic peptide derived from the periphery that plays a key role in the hormonal pathway between the gut and the brain via its effect on the vagus. Ghrelin increases body weight by stimulating food intake but also by decreasing fat utilization. Ghrelin also stimulates gastric emptying which may contribute to appetite signaling. Recently, it ...