Research by Steven M. Sine, Ph.D., in his Receptor Biology Laboratory, investigates the function of neurotransmitter receptors — a class of signaling proteins that mediate moment-to-moment communication between cells in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Neurotransmitter receptors are crucial for a wide range of physiological processes and are targets for diseases and therapeutic drugs. Despite the profound physiological significance of neurotransmitter receptors, mechanisms by which they function at the molecular level and how they interact with drugs and physiological modulators remain largely unknown. The overarching goal of Dr. Sine's laboratory is to understand biophysical and molecular mechanisms by which rapidly acting neurotransmitter receptors function in normal and disease conditions and in the presence of therapeutic drugs. To address gaps in the understanding of neurotransmitter receptor physiology, pathology and modulation, the laboratory employs state-of-the-art biophysical methods to monitor single receptor molecules functioning in real time, and alters their structures with molecular precision to decipher the physical mechanisms underlying function and identify pivotal molecular structures that underpin function.