Jorge Contreras

The overall goal of my research is to discover the molecular mechanisms by which connexin hemichannels play roles in health and disease. Connexin proteins play fundamental roles in development and normal organ function by mediating intercellular signaling. During my graduate career working with Drs. Juan Carlos Saez and Michael Bennett, I discovered that connexin proteins, in addition to junctional channels (gap junctions), form functional hemichannels at the plasma membrane that might play a pathophysiological role during ischemia. As a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Miguel Holmgren at NIH, I focused my investigation on the study of gating mechanisms in cyclic nucleotide gated (CNG) channels. I found that unlike most voltage-gated potassium channels, the CNG channel gate is located at the selectivity filter, providing evidence of divergent gating mechanisms in structurally similar channels. As an independent scientist, I returned to the field of connexin proteins and developed a research program with the goal of identifying the molecular regulators of connexin channel gating under physiological and pathological conditions.

Areas of Interest :
• Biophysics.
• Neuroinflammation.
• Neuroscience.
• Physiology.