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In a new study, researchers from the University of Sydney in Australia and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have revealed one of the most important molecular machines in our cells-the glutamate transporter- --The shape, which helps explain how our brain cells communicate with each other.
Glutamate transporters are tiny proteins on the surface of all our cells.
These researchers used cryo-EM to capture the structure of glutamate transporters in great detail, and the results showed that they looked like "twisted elevators" embedded in the cell membrane.
This discovery, made for the first time in the world, opened up a whole new field of possibility: to study whether defects in glutamate transporters may be the cause behind neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.
The co-first author of the paper and PhD student Ichia Chen from the University of Sydney said, “I was surprised when I saw this image for the first time.
Multitasking glutamate transporter
By using cryo-EM to analyze thousands of images trapped in a thin layer of ice, these researchers were able to "photograph" the structure of the glutamate transporter.
cryo-EM is a highly sensitive microscope that makes this research possible.
These findings also confirmed the speculation of scientists for some time: glutamate transporters are multitaskers.
Professor Ryan said, “Understanding how these molecular machines in our cells work allows us to explain their defects in disease states, and it also provides us with clues on how to use drugs to target these molecular machines.
The key to bridging the deficiencies in the disease
Drawing a detailed structure diagram of the glutamate transporter is an important tool for people to understand how our body works and the mechanisms behind some diseases.
Defects of glutamate transporters are associated with many neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and stroke.
The co-first author of the paper, Dr.
The results of teamwork
This paper is the result of seven years of research work carried out by researchers in Australia and the United States.
The co-corresponding author of the paper, Dr.
Reference materials:
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https://phys.
org/news/2021-02-elevator-key-neurological-diseases.
html
