Project Summary

Alan R. Sanders, M.D. (Young Investigator 2002) of University of Chicago, will create a comprehensive and multipurpose database for human G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) genes (which play fundamental roles in regulating the activity of almost every cell and typically function to relay a signal from outside to within the cell and are important for all fields of medicine because they are targets for most medications) including information about naturally occurring genetic variations, and will use this database to test a set of hypotheses of fundamental biological significance regarding the general characteristics of these genetic variations.  He will test hypotheses about the position at which naturally occurring mutations occur in the messenger RNA (mRNA) and the protein, the type of amino acid affected, induced alterations in the codon usage pattern, and their effect on computer modeled mRNA structure.  This study has implications for human health because of the insight gained by exploiting this knowledge in pursuit of better understanding variation among genes relevant to most major mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and mood disorders, or their treatments.

Program Area: MULTIPLE FOCUS AREAS\Schizophrenia/Mood Disorders

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