Pierre Mothet Jean

Biography

He work focused on the modulation of cholinergic transmission by nitric oxide (NO) in the Aplysia ganglia. He found that NO had opposite effects depending on the excitatory or inhibitory nature of the synapses. These phenomenological observations led me to study the intracellular signaling pathways and in particular the structures of storage of calcium at the nerve end which, by a fine and rapid control of the calcium concentration, are able to modulate the release of neurotransmitters. He have shown that a calcium-induced calcium release enhancer mechanism is involved in the onset of neurotransmitter release by updating the role of cyclic ADPribose in the generation of calcium signals necessary for the release of neurotransmitters. After his thesis, he joined Prof. Solomon H. Snyder's laboratory in Baltimore for a post-doctoral internship. His research topic was the identification of synthetic pathways and the exploration of the function of two atypical amino acids recently discovered in the central nervous system (CNS): D-serine and D-aspartate. His work allowed us to show for the first time on an in vitro culture model that D-serine is the main endogenous ligand of NMDA-type glutamate receptors. He also contributed to the demonstration of the route of synthesis of this amino acid in the mammalian CNS by developing a method of D-serine assay. This method coupled with biochemical techniques allowed them to identify the serine racemase, the synthetic enzyme of D-serine.

Research Interest

Neurology