Presentation
The calcium ion is used by all cells to decode extracellular stimuli into vital intracellular responses. Efficiency and specificity of Ca2+ signals rely on a complex spatio-temporal organization, which has been well characterized by a combination of experimental and modelling approaches. However, the Ca2+ signal does not work in isolation but is fine-tuned by other signals, one of which is cAMP. The laboratory of C. Taylor has shown that some cAMPgenerating stimuli potentiate Ca2+ signals via an interaction between cAMP and Ca2+-releasing channels in specialized enzyme-channels junctions. In this project, we aim at combining the expertises of the experimental (C. Taylor) and the modelling (G. Dupont) group to develop the first model of this interaction. Such an interdisciplinary approach will improve our understanding of the highly nonlinear coupling between the two pathways, which has functional consequences in important pathologies such as bronchial asthma.
Promoters
- Geneviève Dupont, Faculty of sciences, ULB
- Colin Taylor, Department of Pharmacology, Cambridge