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Claudio Grosman Assistant Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, Neuroscience, and Biophysics Ph.D. 1996 University of Buenos Aires (Argentina) Molecular Mechanisms of Neurotransmitter-gated Ion Channels. Claudio Grosman 452A Burrill, MC-114 407 S. Goodwin Urbana, IL 61801 217-244-1736 grosman@life.uiuc.edu

Current Research

The laboratory is broadly interested in the relationship between structure and function in neurotransmitter-gated ion channels, with special emphasis on the Cys-loop superfamily of synaptic receptor-channels. Our main tools are single-channel recording and analysis, and protein engineering techniques. Some of the particular issues we have been working on lately are:

1. Quantitative characterization of fundamental properties of neurotransmitter-gated ion channels such as rate and equilibrium constants of ligand binding in the closed and open states.
2. Quantitative understanding of the different phenomena that contribute to the kinetics of the postsynaptic-current decay.
3. Linear free-energy relationships and the dynamics of the closed <--> open conformational change.