Research

Our lab is broadly interested in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of receptor-trafficking in the central nervous system (CNS). Our primary focus is to study the endocytic membrane trafficking of AMPARs and mGluRs, two important classes of receptor that play a pivotal role in synaptic plasticity. These receptors have also been implicated in various neuropsychiatric disorders as well. Normal signaling depends on accurate localization of such receptors in specific regions of the cell, and the process of receptor trafficking plays a critical role in controlling this localization. Despite the obvious significance of this process, we still know very little about the molecular mechanisms that mediate trafficking of neurotransmitter receptors in the brain. Our labs specific interest lies in studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the trafficking of Glutamate receptors in the CNS. These trafficking events are thought to be critical for virtually all forms of experience-dependent plasticity, including learning and memory and are believed to play crucial role in various neuropsychiatric disorders. We use various systems starting from non-neuronal cell lines, neuronal cell lines to primary neurons and employ various techniques ranging from cell biology, biochemistry to molecular biology to address these questions.