Inositol 1,4,5, - trisphosphate signalling in cellular and systemic physiology

Research in my group addresses the question of how a cell responds to changes in levels of calcium within it. We are specifically interested in the second messenger Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) and its intracellular receptor - the InsP3 receptor. This protein exists on the membranes of intracellular calcium stores and performs the dual function of a receptor for InsP3 and a channel for calcium release. When InsP3 is generated in the cell, in response to an external stimulus, it binds to the InsP3 receptor and releases calcium from internal stores. We address InsP3 receptor function in the model organism Drosophila using genetic, molecular, cellular, electrophysiological and behavioural techniques.