Sigurbjörn Markússon

Cryo-Em structure of the SLC45A4 polyamine transporter depicted by a substantial yellow and green area, a purple mid-section, punctuated with turquoise and with the top third of the whole surrounded by a transparent 'membrane'-like structure

Read the full story here: 📣Breakthrough discovery reveals new gene linked to chronic pain ➡️ bit.ly/202508_newst...

22.08.2025 13:14 — 👍 12    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 1

SLC45A4 is a pain gene encoding a neuronal polyamine transporter - Nature The SLC45A4 gene encodes a neuronal polyamine transporter and is linked to pain response in humans and mice.

We've found a new gene linked to chronic pain in humans! The gene SLC45A4 encodes (the long-awaited) neuronal polyamine transporter, which is important for pain signalling in nerves. We hope this discovery might lead to new chronic pain treatments in the future!

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

21.08.2025 12:16 — 👍 81    🔁 26    💬 4    📌 0

It was a great team effort in the Newstead lab, in great collaboration with @middletonsj.bsky.social and others in the Dave Bennet group, @justindeme.bsky.social and @smlea.bsky.social, and many others!
@oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social @kavlioxford.bsky.social

21.08.2025 11:24 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Fantastic work led by @middletonsj.bsky.social in the Bennet lab showed SLC45A4 KO mice to have altered pain perception and that SLC45A4 regulates nociceptor activity. Thereby identifying the transporter as a potential target for non-opioid treatment of chronic pain!

21.08.2025 11:23 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Following identification of the gene in GWAS, we discovered that SLC45A4 is the sought after plasma membrane polyamine transporter, demonstrating transport in neurons. Our structures showed a novel plug domain on its large cytosolic domain, making it the first known autoinhibited MFS transporter!

21.08.2025 11:22 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

SLC45A4 is a pain gene encoding a neuronal polyamine transporter - Nature The SLC45A4 gene encodes a neuronal polyamine transporter and is linked to pain response in humans and mice.

Our paper on SLC45A4 is out now in @nature.com! The orphan SLC45A4 transporter is a polyamine transporter involved in chronic pain signalling!

21.08.2025 11:05 — 👍 17    🔁 7    💬 1    📌 0

Nanobodies against the myelin enzyme CNPase as tools for structural and functional studies The enzyme 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase (CNPase) is abundant in non-compact myelin. While its in vitro catalytic activity is well understood, the in vivo function of CNPase remains un...

...and there we have it - the first paper for 2025 😀

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

10.12.2024 18:03 — 👍 11    🔁 3    💬 1    📌 0