Concepcion Gonzalez Lab
Principal Investigator: Axel Rolando Concepcion Gonzalez
Institution: University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
Primary Subfield: Molecular & Cell Bio
Recruitment Status: ✅ Accepting PhD Students ✅ Hiring Postdocs
Research Focus
Project Summary/Abstract Ion channels are proteins that allow the permeation of ions across the plasma membrane. These membrane proteins orchestrate the cellular excitability in neurons and muscle fibers by firing action potentials that are essential for neuronal communication and muscle contraction. In non-excitable cells, such as immune cells, the role of ion channels is much less understood. However, solid evidence demonstrated by null mutations of human or mouse genes have shown that ion channels play critical roles in immune cell function. Here, we aim to study the physiological role of swelling-activated ion channels that are present in T lymphocytes. To achieve this goal, i) we will use a systematic approach to discover the swelling activated Ca2+ (SWAC) channel that is active during the maturation of T lymphocytes and study whether this channel is necessary to provide Ca2+ signals for the positive selection of T cells in the thymus, and ii) study the mechanisms of transport by volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs) for large substrate such as cyclic dinucleotides signaling molecules. We will use cross- disciplinary approaches including functional genomics, systems immunolo…
Active NIH Awards
- 5R35GM155189-03: Immune cell regulation by swelling-activated ion channels (2026)
- 1R03AI196747-01: Dissecting the intrinsic role of SLC4A2 in the development of liver inflammation in a mouse model of PBC (2026)
- 5R35GM155189-02: Immune cell regulation by swelling-activated ion channels (2025)
- 1R35GM155189-01: Immune cell regulation by swelling-activated ion channels (2024)
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