Abstract: 
Neurons in our retinas detect, process and transmit information about the visual scene. The earliest steps in this process involve the absorption of light by rod or cone photoreceptors, and the initiation of a highly amplified signal transduction cascade, leading to an alteration in membrane voltage and slowing of neurotransmitter release. This pathway is one of the best understood signaling mechanisms in our nervous system, and features many recurring themes found in other cell types. The major molecular players include receptor proteins, GTP-binding proteins, enzymes, transporters, metal ions, nucleotides, and ion channels. The workings of this cascade and the experimental and computational approaches that have allowed us to understand them will be explained. Current research challenges and implications for human disease and therapy will also be discussed. 

Theodore Wensel’s Research Interests: 
The interests in Dr. Wensel’s laboratory are broadly in the area of signal transduction mediated by heterotrimeric G proteins, with emphases on phototransduction in the vertebrate retina and on slow neurotransmission in the brain. Their interests encompass understanding these processes at the molecular and atomic levels, and using this knowledge to develop new approaches to understanding and treating human disease. Their approach is highly interdisciplinary and collaborative, spanning the range from determination of atomic structures by x-ray crystallography to electrophysiological and behavioral studies of genetically engineered animals