EJE AWARD 2020: Signalling by G protein-coupled receptors: why space and time matter

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of membrane and major drug targets. They play a fundamental role in endocrine system, where they mediate effects several hormones neurotransmitters. As result, alterations GPCR signalling cause disorders such as congenital hypothyroidism or Cushing’s syndrome. My group develops innovative optical methods fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) single-molecule microscopy, which allow us to investigate living cells with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. Using this approach, we have contributed elucidate some long-debated questions about mechanisms their involvement human disease. Among other findings, these studies led unexpected discovery that GPCRs not only at cell surface, previously assumed, but also various intracellular sites. This has important implications understand how neurotransmitters produce specific responses our might pave way treatments for common diseases like diabetes heart failure.