Project in brief
Major depression is one of the most prevalent and debilitating conditions worldwide, affecting nearly 16 per cent of the global population, imposing a major personal and economic burden. Chronic stress is an important mediator in the initiation of depression and stress has been shown to alter serotonin signalling, an important neurotransmitter. Serotonin-associated antidepressants are used to treat depression; however, the precise role of serotonin is poorly understood. Recent work has shown that as well as acting through classical receptor binding, serotonin can bind directly to proteins, a process called serotonylation. While several serotonylated proteins have been identified the function of these altered proteins in normal physiology or the pathology associated with major depression is not well understood.
The successful candidate will work with a multidisciplinary team of supervisors with expertise in neuroscience and proteomics. The goal of this project is to utilise a multidisciplinary approach at the chemistry-biology interface to identify a range of serotonylated proteins and study their functional involvement in depression. The results of this project will generate novel targets that has potential clinical impact through the treatment of depression.