Professor Neil Marrion

Summary

The hippocampus is known to play a key role in the consolidation of memory and research has focused on the changes in membrane excitability that occur during the creation of memories. Neuronal excitability is regulated by the activation of both voltage- and calcium-dependent potassium currents. The Marrion laboratory uses a multidisciplinary approach to study how voltage-dependent potassium channels are activated and the functional relationship between ion channel subtypes that controls activation of calcium-activated potassium channels. In addition, the laboratory has pioneered a new technique to resolve the exocytosis of a single vesicle containing neurotransmitter. The understanding that learning and memory consolidation are controlled by the excitability of the CNS neurons has revolutionized our approach to disease states such as Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy. The Marrion laboratory is contributing to this understanding to permit an appreciation of how these processes are influential in particular CNS disease states.

Activities / Findings

• Ion Channel coupling in CNS neurons
• Pharmacology of SK channels in neurons and heart
• Measurement of movement of a voltage-dependent ion channel upon activation and deactivation

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Keywords

• single channel
• patch clamp

Skills

• Alzheimer's Disease
• epilepsy

Processes and functions

• Learning and memory
• seizures

Methodologies

• Patch clamp
• Western blots
• PCR

Memberships

Organisations

School of Physiology and Pharmacology

MRC Centre for Synaptic Plasticity

Other sites

• Neuroscience
• Synaptic

Research Areas

• Neuropharmacology

Links

•   home page

Selected publications

• Lamy, C, Goodchild, S, Weatherall, K, Jane, D, Liégeois, J-F, Seutin, V & Marrion, N, 2010, ‘Allosteric block of KCa2 channels by apamin’. Journal of Biological Chemistry, vol 285., pp. 27067 - 27077
• Buchanan, K, Petrovic, M, Chamberlain, S, Marrion, N & Mellor, J, 2010, ‘Facilitation of Long-Term Potentiation by Muscarinic M1 Receptors is mediated by inhibition of SK channels’. Neuron, vol 68., pp. 948 - 963
• Correa, S, Muller, R, Collingridge, G & Marrion, N, 2009, ‘Rapid endocytosis provides restricted somatic expression of a K+ channel in central neurons’. Journal of Cell Science, vol 122., pp. 4186 - 4194
• Weatherall, K, Goodchild, S, Jane, D & Marrion, N, 2010, ‘Small conductance calcium-activated potassium channels: from structure to function’. Progress in Neurobiology, vol 91., pp. 242 - 255
• Oldfield, S, Hancock, J, Mason, A, Hobson, S, Wynick, D, Kelly, E, Randall, A & Marrion, N, 2009, ‘Receptor-mediated suppression of potassium currents requires co-localization within lipid rafts’. Molecular Pharmacology, vol 76., pp. 1279-1289

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Recent publications

• Wilson, SL, Marrion, NV & Hancox, JC, 2017, ‘The Effects of Extracellular Protons on the hERG Potassium Channel’. Biophysical Journal, vol 112., pp. 410a
• Hancox, JC, James, AF, Marrion, NV, Zhang, H & Thomas, D, 2016, ‘Novel ion channel targets in atrial fibrillation’. Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets, vol 20., pp. 947-958
• Hancock, JM, Weatherall, KL, Choisy, SC, James, AF, Hancox, JC & Marrion, NV, 2015, ‘Selective activation of heteromeric SK channels contributes to action potential repolarization in mouse atrial myocytes’. Heart Rhythm, vol 12., pp. 1003-15
• Church, TW, Weatherall, K, Correa, S, Prole, D, Brown, JT & Marrion, N, 2015, ‘Preferential assembly of heteromeric small conductance calcium-activated potassium channels.’. European Journal of Neuroscience, vol 41., pp. 305-315
• Alexander, SP, Fabbro, D, Kelly, E, Marrion, N, Peters, JA, Benson, HE, Faccenda, E, Pawson, AJ, Sharman, JL, Southan, C, Davies, JA & , 2015, ‘The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2015/16: Catalytic receptors’. British Journal of Pharmacology, vol 172., pp. 5979-6023

View complete publications list in the University of Bristol publications system

Networks & contacts

• Jules Hancox - Bristol Ray Turner - Calgary Vincent Seutin - Liege