Unraveling G protein-coupled receptor activity in women’s health
Dr. GPCR Ecosystem
Abstract
The central role of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily in physiological systems is never more evident than in the female reproductive system, where multiple GPCRs play key roles throughout the cycle from birth to puberty, fertility, pregnancy, and menopause. GPCR activity may also be altered or is a therapeutic target in conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, gynecological cancers, infertility, and pre-term labor. In this talk, I will give a tour of how exploring the action of GPCRs within reproduction, from cells to the clinic and back, has contributed to our fundamental understanding of new mechanisms directing GPCR signaling and provided evolved cell signaling models of pathophysiological GPCR action and how we are starting to exploit these evolved models for new therapeutic targets.
About Dr. Aylin Hanyaloglu
Dr. Aylin Hanyaloglu has been a Principal Investigator at Imperial College London since 2007. She received her BSc in Human Biology from King’s College London in 1997, and while her Ph.D. commenced at the MRC Human Reproductive Sciences Centre in Edinburgh, a move to Perth, Australia, resulted in her Ph.D. in Molecular Endocrinology being awarded in 2002 from the University of Western Australia. Dr. Hanyaloglu undertook her postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco, with Professor Mark von Zastrow, where she identified novel core cellular machinery critical for G protein-coupled receptor trafficking and signaling.
Her research focuses on understanding the fundamental cell biological mechanisms regulating GPCR activity, including spatial control of GPCR signaling and receptor crosstalk, and applying these mechanisms for distinct GPCRs in diverse physiological and pathophysiological systems with particular focus on women's health, pregnancy, and nutrient sensing in the gut. Her work is currently funded by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Diabetes UK, Wellcome Trust, and the Medical Research Council.
Dr. Aylin Hanyaloglu on the web
