“Structure, Ca2+-dependent regulation, and ion selectivity of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter”
The mitochondrial calcium uniporter, which regulates aerobic metabolism by catalyzing mitochondrial Ca2+ influx, is arguably the most selective ion channel known. The uniporter is a multi-subunit complex comprising the protein MCU, which forms a tetrameric assembly and contains the ion pore, along with EMRE, MICU1 and MICU2 subunits. By combining structural studies of multiple complexes with functional studies, we have gained insight into the mechanisms for the channel’s Ca2+-dependent regulation and for its exquisite Ca2+ selectivity. The lecture will highlight recent work in which electrophysiological studies were used to probe ion selectivity mechanisms. Comparison with the structural information yields unexpected principals of selective Ca2+ conduction in the context of high ion throughput by the channel.
Date: 23 March 2023, 10:00 (Thursday, 10th week, Hilary 2023)
Venue: Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, off South Parks Road OX1 3QU
Venue Details: Phase 2 Seminar Room 20-138
Speaker: Dr. Stephen B. Long (Cryo-EM Imaging Lab Sloan Kettering Institute)
Organising department: Department of Biochemistry
Organiser: Prof Simon Newstead (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: simon.newstead@bioch.ox.ac.uk
Host: Prof Simon Newstead (University of Oxford)
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Public
Editor: Alvaro Cubillana Salas