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Prof. Dr. Andreas Reiner

Cellular Neurobiology (W3)
Chair of Cellular Neurobiology Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology
44780 Bochum, Germany
Phone: +49 234 32 24332
Mail: Andreas.Reiner@rub.de
Website: www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/cellneuro

 

Primary Supervisor – Prof. Dr. Andreas Reiner 

Co-Supervisor – Prof. Dr. Stefan Herlitze

Aim:  Engineering of photoswitchable 5-HT and DA receptors for probing of 5-HT-1/2/D2 receptor function and heteromerization

Monoaminergic transmitters can elicit complex adaptations, depending on the receptor combinations expressed in specific cell-types, available downstream signaling cascades and crosstalk with other signaling pathways. Even on the level of single receptors, important mechanistic details remain missing. For instance, different 5-HT subtypes and DA receptors can form heterodimers, which couple to different pathways and show interdependent signaling as evidenced by ligands bias. However, pharmacological tools are of limited use for dissecting these processes, as they often lack full subtype-specificity and are irreversible or slow-acting. Even data obtained from studies in heterologous expression systems remain incoherent. Nevertheless, 5-HT/DA heterodimers appear to be physiologically relevant and have been implicated in various diseases such as depression and bipolar disorders. Thus, new approaches are needed for understanding the functional implications of 5-HT/DA receptor heteromerization and may help to open new paths for pharmacological interventions.

 

  10 selected publications  (* denotes equal contribution, # corresponding authorship)

  • Kubitschke M, Müller M, Wallhorn L, Pulin M, Mittag M, Pollok S, Ziebarth T, Bremshey S, Gerdey J, Claussen KC, Renken K, Gross J, Gneiße P, Meyer N, Wiegert JS, Reiner A, Fuhrmann M, Masseck OA (2022). Next generation genetically encoded fluorescent sensors for serotonin. Nature Comm. 13: 7525.

  • Herbrechter R., Hube N., Buchholz R. & Reiner A# (2021). Splicing and editing of ionotropic glutamate receptors: a comprehensive analysis based on human RNA-Seq data. Cell Mol Life Sci 78: 5605-5630.

  • Selvakumar P, Lee J, Khanra N, He C, Munguba H, Kiese L, Broichhagen J, Reiner A, Levitz J, Meyerson JR (2021). Structural and compositional diversity in the kainate receptor family. Cell Rep. 37: 109891.

  • Pollok S, Reiner A# (2020). Subunit-selective iGluR antagonists can potentiate heteromeric receptor responses by blocking desensitization. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 117: 25851-25858.

  • Reiner A*# / Levitz J*# (2018). Glutamatergic signaling in the central nervous system: Ionotropic and metabotropic receptors in concert. Neuron 98: 1080-1098. (# corresponding authors)

  • Levitz J.*/Popescu A.T.*/Reiner A.* & Isacoff, E.Y. (2016). A toolkit for orthogonal and in vivo optical manipulation of ionotropic glutamate receptors. Front Mol Neurosci 9: 00002.

  • Berlin S*, Szobota S*, Reiner A, Carroll EC, Kienzler MA, Guyon A, Xiao T, Trauner D, Isacoff EY (2016). A family of photoswitchable NMDA receptors. eLife 5: e12040.

  • Reiner A, Isacoff EY (2014). Tethered ligands reveal glutamate receptor desensitizationdepends on subunit occupancy. Nat Chem Biol 10: 273-280.

  • Levitz J, Pantoja C, Gaub B, Janovjak H, Reiner A, Hoagland A, Schoppik D, Kane B, Stawski P, Schier AF, Trauner D, Isacoff EY (2013). Optical control of metabotropic glutamate receptors. Nat Neurosci 16: 507-516.

  • Kienzler MA* / Reiner A*, Trautman E, Yoo S, Trauner D, Isacoff EY (2013). A red-shifted, fast-relaxing azobenzene photoswitch for visible light control of an ionotropic glutamate receptor. J Am Chem Soc 135: 17683-17686.