Dr Nigel Unwin

nigel unwin

University position

Emeritus Scientist, LMB

Institutes

Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology

Home page

http://www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/groups/nu/ (personal home page)

Research Theme

Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

The Cambridge Neuroscience Community

Interests

I am interested in finding out how ion channels work, using electron microscopy to analyse their structures trapped in different physiological states. Current research focuses on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, the transmitter-gated ion channel at the nerve-muscle synapse. Images of isolated Torpedo postsynaptic membranes have now yielded a refined atomic model of this channel at 4Å resolution. Freeze-trapping combined with imaging experiments may eventually provide a mechanistic picture of how binding of acetylcholine opens the channel in atomic detail.

Looking down the ion pathway of an ACh receptor, viewed from the synaptic cleft.
View image full-size (1512x1444 pixels)

Research Focus

Keywords

None specified

Clinical conditions

Addiction

Myasthenia gravis

Neuromuscular disorders

Equipment

Electron microscopy

FPLC/HPLC

Collaborators

No collaborators listed

Key publications

Unwin N, Fujiyoshi Y (2012), “Gating movement of acetylcholine receptor caught by plunge-freezing.” J Mol Biol 422(5):617-34 Details

O'Brien J, Unwin N (2006), “Organization of spines on the dendrites of Purkinje cells” Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103:1575-1580 Details

Unwin N (2005), “Refined structure of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor at 4Å resolution” J Mol Biol 346:967-989

Miyazawa A, Fujiyoshi Y, Unwin N (2003), “Structure and gating mechanism of the acetylcholine receptor pore” Nature 423:949-955