Professor Jeremy Henley

Summary

Understanding the processes that dictate the distribution, maintenance and dynamics of neurotransmitter receptors is of fundamental importance to the molecular basis of fast excitatory transmission and synaptic.

The Henley lab is interested in the mechanisms by which neurotransmitter receptors are targeted to, retained at and removed from synapses under normal and stimulated conditions. Receptors share common biosynthetic and endocytic pathways but important specific differences allow selective regulation.

Increased understanding of the mechanisms of these processes will give important insights into synapse formation, stabilisation and plasticity and thus into the cellular mechanisms underlying learning and memory and some neurodegenerative diseases.

In particular we focus on the roles of posttranslational modifications and protein-protein interactions at AMPA and kainate receptors.

To address these questions we use a wide range of molecular, biochemical, cell biology and imaging techniques including the use of viral transduction and fluorophore protein tagging technology to visualise the dynamics of receptor movement in living neurones in real time.

Activities / Findings

• Molecular and functional characterisation of AMPA and kainate receptors
• AMPA and kainate receptor trafficking, functional surface expression and recycling at synapses
• Neuronal receptor trafficking in plasticity and disease
• Neuronal receptor interacting proteins
• Posttranslational modification in synapses
• Role of SUMOylation in pre- and postsynaptic function
• SUMOylation in neuronal disease

Teaching

Anatomical Sciences Year I: Lectures in Neuroscience Module. Year II: Lectures in Neuroscience Module & Neuroendocrinology Module; Year III: Neuroscience Option organizer, Lectures in Molecular Neurobiology Module & Basic Techniques Module

Keywords

• Glutamate receptor
• GABA
• NSF
• GluR2
• Syntenin
• GFP
• AMPA receptor
• PICK1
• SUMOylation
• SUMO

Skills

• Brain ischaemia
• epilepsy
• drug addiction

Processes and functions

• Learning and memory
• development
• synaptic transmission

Methodologies

• Protein biochemistry
• design & production of anti-peptide antibodies
• molecular biology
• in vitro translation
• PCR
• mutagenesis
• mammalian cell expression systems
• bacterial fusion proteins
• yeast two-hybrid analysis protein
• green fluorescent protein (GFP) imaging
• confocal microscopy
• co-immunoprecipitation
• ELISA
• cell surface biotinylation
• subcellular fractionation
• viral transfection
• FLIP
• FRAP
• immunofluorescence
• GST pull-down
• recombinant protein expression
• gel electrophoresis

Memberships

Organisations

School of Biochemistry

Other sites

• Neuroscience

Links

•   home page

Selected publications

• Kantamneni, S, Wilkinson, K & Henley, J 2011, ‘Ubiquitin regulation of neuronal excitability’. Nature Neuroscience, vol 14 (2)., pp. 126 - 128
• Nakamura, Y, Wood, C, Patton, A, Jaafari, N, Henley, J, Mellor, J & Hanley, J 2011, ‘PICK1 inhibition of the Arp2/3 complex controls dendritic spine size and synaptic plasticity’. EMBO, vol 30 (4)., pp. 719 - 730
• Hanley, L & Henley, J 2010, ‘Differential roles of GRIP1a and GRIP1b in AMPA receptor trafficking’. Neuroscience Letters, vol 485 (3)., pp. 167 - 172
• Wilkinson, K, Nakamura, Y & Henley, J 2010, ‘Targets and consequences of protein SUMOylation in neurons’. Brain Research Reviews, vol 64 (1)., pp. 195 - 212
• Wilkinson, K & Henley, J 2010, ‘Mechanisms, regulation and cosequences of protein SUMOylation’. Biochemical Journal, vol 428 (2)., pp. 133 - 145

Read more >

Recent publications

• Cimarosti, H, Ashikaga, E, Jaafari, N, Dearden, L, Rubin, P, Wilkinson, K & Henley, J 2012, ‘Enhanced SUMOylation and SENP-1 protein levels following oxygen and glucose deprivation in neurones’. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, vol 32(1)., pp. 17 - 22
• Chamberlain, SEL, González-González, IM, Wilkinson, KA, Konopacki, FA, Kantamneni, S, Henley, JM & Mellor, JR 2012, ‘SUMOylation and phosphorylation of GluK2 regulate kainate receptor trafficking and synaptic plasticity’. Nature Neuroscience.
• González-González, I, Jaskolski, F, Goldberg, Y, Ashby, M & Henley, J 2012, ‘Chapter six - Measuring membrane protein dynamics in neurons using fluorescence recovery after photobleach’. Methods in Enzymology, vol 504., pp. 127 - 146
• Jaafari, N, Henley, JM & Hanley, JG 2012, ‘PICK1 Mediates Transient Synaptic Expression of GluA2-Lacking AMPA Receptors during Glycine-Induced AMPA Receptor Trafficking.’. The Journal of Neuroscience., pp. 11618-11630
• Konopacki, F, Jaafari, N, Rocca, D, Wilkinson, K, Chamberlain, S, Rubin, P, Kantamneni, S, Mellor, J & Henley, J 2011, ‘Agonist-induced PKC phosphorylation regulates GluK2 SUMOylation and kainate receptor endocytosis’. PNAS, vol 108., pp. 19772 - 19777

View complete publications list in the University of Bristol publications system

Networks & contacts

• Dr Laszlo Urban - Novartis - London
• Dr Andrea Grant - Glaxo-Wellcome
• Chris McBain - NIH and J-C. Lucaille - Montreal
• Prof. Ole Peter Ottersen - Oslo
• Drs Chrstophe Mulle and Daniel Choquet - Bordeaux
• Members of MRC Centre - Bristol
• Prof Jeremy Tavare Dept. of Biochemistry - Bristol