Hamm Lab

Education

B.S. Biochemistry/Chemistry, University of California, San Diego, 2010 (La Jolla, CA).

Ph.D. Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, 2017 (Mentor:Heidi Hamm).

Research interests

Modulation of neurotransmitter exocytosis by activated G_i/o coupled G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) is a universal regulatory mechanism used both to avoid overstimulation and to influence circuitry. One of the known modulation mechanisms is the Gβγ and soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) interaction. There are 5 Gβ and 12 Gγ subunits, but specific Gβγs activated by a given GPCR and the in vivo specificity to effectors is not known. Using the quantitative MRM mass spectrometry, I am interested in understanding the abundance, subcellular localization, and specificity of neuronal Gβ and Gγ subunits to various GPCRs and effectors. I mainly focus on the Gβ and Gγ specificity to auto α_2a adrenergic receptors (α_2aARs), hetero α_2aARs, and SNARE in presence of epinephrine. Moreover, I study the molecular interaction of Gβγ and SNARE proteins to understand the microarchitecture of the Gβγ and SNARE interaction. From these studies, I hope to form the basis for further investigations to determine the effect of G protein specificity on its downstream signaling, identify potential pathophysiological states in which the Gβγ-SNARE interaction may be dysregulated, and yield additional insights into G_i/o-coupled GPCR-mediated regulation of exocytosis.

Publications

Yim YY, McDonald WH, Hyde K, Cruz-Rodríguez O, Tesmer JJG, Hamm HE. Quantitative Multiple-Reaction Monitoring Proteomic Analysis of Gβ and Gγ Subunits in C57Bl6/J Brain Synaptosomes. Biochemistry. 2017; 56(40):5405-5416.

Van Hook MJ, Babai N, Zurawski Z, Yim YY, Hamm HE, Thoreson WB. A Presynaptic Group III mGluR Recruits Gβγ/SNARE Interactions to Inhibit Synaptic Transmission by Cone Photoreceptors in the Vertebrate Retina. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 2017; 37(17):4618-4634.

Yim YY, Betke K, Hamm H. Using peptide arrays created by the SPOT method for defining protein-protein interactions. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.). 2015; 1278:307-20.

Wells CA, Zurawski Z, Betke KM, et al. Gβγ inhibits exocytosis via interaction with critical residues on soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein-25. Molecular pharmacology. 2012; 82(6):1136-49.

Ilouz R, Bubis J, Wu J, et al. Localization and quaternary structure of the PKA RIβ holoenzyme. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2012; 109(31):12443-8.

Awards

First place in the Division for Molecular Pharmacology Postdoctoral Award Oral Presentation Competition at ASPET (EB2018)