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Phillip M. Best Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, Neuroscience, Bioengineering, and Biophysics Ph.D. 1974, University of Washington Ion channel function and regulation; molecular mechanisms of muscle activation Phillip M. Best 524 Burrill, MC-114 407 S. Goodwin Urbana, IL 61801 217-333-1734 pbest@uiuc.edu

Research in my laboratory is concerned with the regulation and function of voltage dependent ion channels. As a group, these membrane-associated proteins play important roles in the control of cell function through their involvement in the production and regulation of ion gradients and fluxes and of cell membrane potentials. In excitable cells like nerve and muscle, ion channels are critically involved in electrical signaling processes. My interests are primarily focused on calcium selective ion channels. Calcium is an important intracellular messenger whose movement into and within cells is regulated by the activity of calcium channel proteins. Currently, we are investigating the structure, function and physiological relevance of the T-type calcium channel. The T-type, or low voltage activated, calcium channel is found in the surface membrane of both excitable and secretory cells. In the brain, it is found in high density in dendritic processes and is involved in the generation of long term depression (LTD), epileptic activity, and perhaps neuronal remodeling. Expression of T-type calcium channels is associated with periods of growth in many types of cells including cardiac muscle where high levels of the protein are expressed during hypertrophy.