Dynamic Mechanisms of Photoreceptor Signaling

We study light-sensitive membrane proteins, with a particular focus on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their signaling assemblies, using and establishing time-resolved integrative structural biology and biophysical approaches.

Vision is a dominant human sense essential for daily life. Visual impairment affects more than a billion people worldwide, including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and inherited retinal diseases, many of which arise from dysfunction of light-activated signaling pathways.

By investigating how light-activated receptors convert photons into rapid and reliable cellular responses, we aim to uncover general principles governing dynamic membrane protein signaling at the molecular and cellular levels.

© Paul Scherrer Institute PSI/Markus Fischer
Structural landscape of light-activated signaling assemblies.
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  • Petrovic I, Grzesiek S, Isaikina P
    Advances in the molecular understanding of GPCR-arrestin complexes
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    DORA PSI
  • Isaikina P, Petrovic I, Jakob RP, Sarma P, Ranjan A, Baruah M, et al.
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