Jeffrey Grigston

Research Square

Signal transduction typically begins by ligand-dependent activation of a concomitant partner that is otherwise in its resting state. However, in cases where signal activation is constitutive by default, the mechanism of regulation is unknown. The Arabidopsis thaliana heterotrimeric Gα protein self-activates without accessory proteins, and is kept i...

Plants use sugars as signaling molecules and possess mechanisms to detect and respond to changes in sugar availability, ranging from the level of secondary signaling molecules to altered gene transcription. G-protein-coupled pathways are involved in sugar signaling in plants. The Arabidopsis thaliana regulator of G-protein signaling protein 1 (AtRG...

Heterotrimeric G protein signaling is important for cell-proliferative and glucose-sensing signal transduction pathways in the model plant organism Arabidopsis thaliana. AtRGS1 is a seven-transmembrane, RGS domain-containing protein that is a putative membrane receptor for d-glucose. Here we show, by using FRET, that d-glucose alters the interactio...

Maintenance of synaptic plasticity requires protein translation. Because changes in synaptic strength are regulated at the level of individual synapses, a mechanism is required for newly translated proteins to specifically and persistently modify only a subset of synapses. Evidence suggests this may be accomplished through local translation of prot...

Protein transport to and from the postsynaptic plasma membrane is thought to be of central importance for synaptic plasticity. However, the molecular details of such processes are poorly understood. One mechanism by which membrane and secretory proteins may be transported to and from postsynaptic membranes is via cargo receptors. We studied the den...