UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 11am EST on August 24: Cell Reports
Senior Author: Paul A. Slesinger, PhD, Lillian and Henry M. Stratton Professor of Neuroscience and Director of the Center for Neurotechnology and Behavior, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.
Bottom Line: Through a structural and functional approach, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Stanford University Medical Center identified physical binding sites for cholesterol in the brain’s G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels, potassium channels that have been implicated in a variety of neurological disorders. The team provides details on how cholesterol in the brain regulates these ion channels and alters their function, which can aid in drug development and potentially treating neurodegenerative diseases.
Results: The team solved a three-dimensional structure…
