# Regulation of postsynaptic protein interaction networks in complex brain disorders

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2020 · $452,404

## Abstract

Project summary:
The signaling specification of the post synaptic membrane known as the post-synaptic density (PSD), is one of
the most complex signaling machineries in the neuron. Many of the genes that have been implicated as risk
factors for the psychiatric disorders are thought to affect PSD proteins. Yet with these genetic discoveries,
there has been a gap in defining underlying biological mechanisms that contribute to dysfunction at the PSD in
complex brain disorders. Our primary objectives are to determine how mutations associated to schizophrenia
(SCZ), disrupts protein interaction networks (PINs) at the PSD, how risk factors are functionally organized in
PINs and how they are regulated by synaptic activity.
We will use mouse genetic models, including the protein kinase TNiK and a mutant -model of SHANK3 found
in patients with SCZ, mass spectrometry analysis, biochemical assays, and computational approaches to
explore not only the normal function of PSD PIN in responding to synaptic activity, but also translate the human
genetic findings into knowledge of how the function of this network is affected by mutations associated with
psychiatric disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9890001
- **Project number:** 5R01MH115005-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Marcelo Pablo Coba
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $452,404
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-06-01 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9890001

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9890001, Regulation of postsynaptic protein interaction networks in complex brain disorders (5R01MH115005-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9890001. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*