{"id":1345,"date":"2016-06-08T10:25:54","date_gmt":"2016-06-08T09:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/biosciences\/?p=1345"},"modified":"2016-06-08T10:25:54","modified_gmt":"2016-06-08T09:25:54","slug":"research-seminar-using-synthetic-biology-to-re-engineer-calcium-signaling-pathways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/biosciences\/2016\/06\/08\/research-seminar-using-synthetic-biology-to-re-engineer-calcium-signaling-pathways\/","title":{"rendered":"Research Seminar: Using synthetic biology to re-engineer calcium signaling pathways"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Ben Miller, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia <\/strong><\/p>\n

Tuesday 14th June, 1.00 p.m., Stacey Lecture Theatre 1<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Calcium ions are an essential second messenger in numerous different signalling pathways. Distinct changes in cellular calcium concentration occur in response to different stimuli, and a suite of calcium-binding proteins have been implicated in decoding these different calcium signals. Indeed, families of diverse calcium-binding proteins have been described across biological systems, however the general mechanisms underlying how different calcium signals are decoded by cells remain unclear. A unique calcium- and calcium\/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CCaMK) found in most plants is essential for the correct interpretation of oscillatory calcium signals and the successful establishment of symbiotic interactions with soil micro-organisms. Using a combination of genetic, biochemical and mathematical modelling approaches, we have revealed a novel mechanism by which calcium signals are decoded via the CCaMK protein. Our current work combines these approaches with synthetic biology to determine how cells use diverse calcium-binding proteins to decode calcium signals into signalling outputs.<\/p>\n