nuclear receptor/ligand interactions
(supported by NSF)

As shown on the right, agonist and antagonist ligands induce different conformational states within estrogen receptor.

We are using biosensor technology to monitor the binding of small molecule ligands directly to the receptor. Results have shown that agonist and antagonist ligands bind through distinct kinetic pathways. The assay is currently being used to characterize the functional properties of unknown ligands and other nuclear receptors.

Our previous work has been published in:
Rich et al., 2002 PNAS 99: 8562-8567