One of the proteins is the Ca-ATPase, a major trasnsport protein for calcium. She will be examining the changes in the activity of this protein in nerve cell membranes. Diana Bigelow, assistant professor of biochemistry, is examining the role of oxidation in aging of the calcium ATPase in muscle. He and his group will examine the free radical production in single nerve cells following activation of the receptors and will analyze the effects of these radicals on the function of the receptors. By analyzing the structure and function of the receptors, he hopes to demonstrate that some free radicals can damage these receptors sufficiently so that the signal of calcium entry and further radical production is turned off and nerve cells survive.
Early results indicate that they are on the right track.
Christian Schoneich, assistant professor of pharmaceutical chemistry and the team's free radical expert, said that recently his laboratory has demonstrated that two suspected reactive oxidative species do indeed interact with the target proteins, producing oxidative stress. We can track these processes down to the molecular level now and show which type of species are involved. So we have solved one part of the problem, but there are many other things to show. Tom Squier, assistant professor of biochemistry, is looking at the oxidation not as random damage, but as a possible regulatory signal. Then, in aging, this pathway goes wrong.