Detail

Keywords

Drosophila melanogaster; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Neuropharmacology; Protein Folding; Protein Trafficking

Research interests

I use cell culture techniques and Drosophila models to study the folding and trafficking of solute carrier 6 (SLC6) transporters. I am particularly interested in understanding how disease-linked missense mutations affect the localization and function of these transporters. Currently, I am investigating the role of the exocyst complex in the targeted delivery of SLC6 transporters.

Techniques, methods & infrastructure

Advanced Drosophila genetics (Gene editing, GAL4-UAS system, protein tagging), microscopy (confocal microscopy) molecular biology and biochemistry techniques (site-directed mutagenesis, DNA/RNA purifications, immunoblotting, immunocytochemistry), pharmacological assays (radiolabeled uptake and binding assays), cell culture (primary neuronal cultures, established cell lines, transient and stable transfections, siRNA-induced gene knockdown etc)

Grants

• THE EXOCYST COMPLEX IN DOPAMINE TRANSPORTER TRAFFICKING (2024)
  Source of Funding: Medical University of Vienna, Principal Investigator Projects
  Principal Investigator
• GAT-1 VARIANTS IN EPILEPSY: MOLECULAR & RESCUE MECHANISMS (2022)
  Source of Funding: Medical University of Vienna, https://www.fwf.ac.at/en/research-radar/10.55776/PAT1246624
  Coordinator of the collaborative project

Selected publications

1. Kasture, A.S. et al. (2023) ‘Drosophila melanogaster as a model for unraveling unique molecular features of epilepsy elicited by human GABA transporter 1 variants’, Frontiers in Neuroscience, 16. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.1074427.
2. El-Kasaby, A. et al. (2019) ‘Rescue by 4-phenylbutyrate of several misfolded creatine transporter-1 variants linked to the creatine transporter deficiency syndrome’, Neuropharmacology, 161, p. 107572. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.03.015.
3. Kasture, A.S. et al. (2019) ‘Distinct contribution of axonal and somatodendritic serotonin transporters in drosophila olfaction’, Neuropharmacology, 161, p. 107564. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.03.007.
4. Asjad, H.M.M. et al. (2017) ‘Pharmacochaperoning in a Drosophila model system rescues human dopamine transporter variants associated with infantile/juvenile parkinsonism’, Journal of Biological Chemistry, 292(47), pp. 19250–19265. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m117.797092.
5. Kasture, A. et al. (2016) ‘Functional Rescue of a Misfolded Drosophila melanogaster Dopamine Transporter Mutant Associated with a Sleepless Phenotype by Pharmacological Chaperones’, Journal of Biological Chemistry, 291(40), pp. 20876–20890. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m116.737551.