Molecular Probes That Will Shed Light on Memory Formation, Learning, To Be Developed At UMass Amherst

May 13, 2008

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James Chambers 413/545-3864

AMHERST, Mass. – Receptors that play a role in learning and memory rapidly change their location and shape as signals travel through the nervous system. James Chambers of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Ismail Hafez of the University of British Columbia have received a three-year, $750,000 grant from the Human Frontier Science Program to develop fluorescent tags called Tri-Probes, which will allow researchers to track these movements and changes in real time.

“One of the main problems in neuroscience is that the “daily life” of these membrane receptors is not well understood,” says Chambers, a professor of chemistry. “Tri-probes will allow researchers to determine at the molecular level how proteins on the surface of nerve cells change, which is not possible with existing technology.”

The first Tri-Probe will be developed to target receptors that play a role in learning and memory, allowing researchers to view the process of memory formation as it happens. The team will use the same basic technique to build a family of Tri-Probes that can target other important nerve cell receptors that respond to serotonin, dopamine and GABA and play a role in depression, anxiety and addiction. Biologists can then use these chemical tools to gain unprecedented knowledge of brain function.

Each Tri-Probe will act like a molecular bur that sticks to a specific receptor protein, allowing a molecule of fluorescent dye to be tethered close to the receptor. When the receptor is activated and the Tri-Probe is hit with a laser, researchers will be able to optically observe how the receptors move and change their structure using fast imaging techniques.

Once the Tri-Probe family is complete, scientists will be able to learn a great deal about how circuits develop and compete in the brain and nervous system. According to Chambers, the technology is not limited to the surface membrane of nerve cells. “Tri-Probes that can be injected or pass into a nerve cell could be used to label any component, and the only requirement would be that we find a molecule that would bind with the target.”

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