DPAG BURDON SANDERSON PRIZE LECTURE 2026: 'Higher-order transient structures (HOTS) and the principle of dynamic connectivity in membrane signaling'

Tuesday, 9 June 2026, 4pm to 5pm

Cells convey signals (information) across their membranes through the interactions of membrane proteins that communicate with each other, forming what are called signal pathways, akin to the components in an electronic circuit. But cell membranes are 2-dimensional liquids in which diffusion dominates, raising the questions how do the components connect, and why do coexisting pathways not interfere with each other? In this presentation I will show you that many membrane proteins self-assemble into higher order transient structures (HOTS). Because HOTS are formed through specific protein interactions, they must be genetically encoded macromolecular units. I will explain how HOTS can (1) underlie a dynamic connectivity by tying together in a statistical manner the components of a signal pathway and (2) permit multiple signal pathways to coexist in the cell membrane.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY

Roderick MacKinnon received the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the structure and operation of ion channels. He is the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Professor and head of the Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology and Biophysics at The Rockefeller University, where he studies the principles of electricity production in living cells through analysis of ion channel structure and function. He received an MD from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed an internal medicine residency at the Beth Israel Hospital Boston. Following postdoctoral studies with Christopher Miller at Brandeis University, he joined the faculty at Harvard Medical School from 1989 to 1995 before moving to The Rockefeller University in 1996 and becoming a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator in 1997.

Speaker(s): Professor Roderick MacKinnon (The Rockefeller University)

Series: DPAG Prize Lectures

Venue: Sherrington Building - Blakemore Lecture Theatre - Blakemore Lecture Theatre Sherrington Building off Parks Road Oxford Oxfordshire OX1 3PT United Kingdom

Department: Physiology Anatomy and Genetics (Department)

Host: Professor David Paterson