Gisela Denise Cymes-Grosman | School of Molecular & Cellular Biology

Research Scientist (PI: Dr. Claudio Grosman)

Additional Campus Affiliations

Research Scientist, Molecular and Integrative Physiology

Recent Publications

Godellas, N. E., Cymes, G. D., & Grosman, C. (2022). An experimental test of the nicotinic hypothesis of COVID-19. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(44), Article e2204242119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2204242119

Cymes, G. D., & Grosman, C. (2021). Signal transduction through Cys-loop receptors is mediated by the nonspecific bumping of closely apposed domains. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118(14), Article e2021016118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2021016118

Kumar, P., Cymes, G. D., & Grosman, C. (2021). Structure and function at the lipid-protein interface of a pentameric ligand-gated ion channel. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118(23), Article e2100164118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2100164118

Kumar, P., Wang, Y., Zhang, Z., Zhao, Z., Cymes, G. D., Tajkhorshid, E., & Grosman, C. (2020). Cryo-EM structures of a lipid-sensitive pentameric ligand-gated ion channel embedded in a phosphatidylcholine-only bilayer. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117(3), 1788-1798. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1906823117

Gonzalez-Gutierrez, G., Wang, Y., Cymes, G. D., Tajkhorshid, E., & Grosman, C. (2017). Chasing the open-state structure of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels. Journal of General Physiology, 149(12), 1119-1138. https://doi.org/10.1085/jgp.201711803

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In the news

Illinois researchers test nicotinic hypothesis of COVID-19
Although researchers have learned much about SARS-CoV-2, the vast array of unexplained symptoms associated with acute and post-acute ("long") COVID-19 warrants the search for additional biochemical pathways involved. On the basis of amino-acid sequence analyses and computational approaches, it has...
Researchers characterize natively bound lipids of a pentameric ligand-gated ion-channel in intact fragments of membrane
Many researchers have postulated that the lipid composition of the membrane containing ion channels is critical for function. However, there are limited data about the structure and function of natively bound lipids. Some molecular simulation experiments have provided some insight; but, data from...
Structure matters over sequence for cys-loop cell receptors
Cells communicate with each other by sending, receiving, and decoding signals. Signals that cannot cross the cell membrane directly – such as ions, water-soluble small molecules, and peptides – need to be detected by receptor proteins on the cell’s outer surface.
New cryo-EM structures of a lipid-sensitive ligand-gated ion channel
In biology, it is generally believed that a protein’s sequence determines its structure, which in turn determines its function. However, in the case of membrane proteins, the reality is more complicated than this simple statement. “In recent years, the importance of a protein’s local environment...
A study published in PNAS by Prof. Claudio Grosman and Dr. Gisela D. Cymes has revealed the elusive link between amino-acid sequence and charge selectivity in the superfamily of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.
Here, the authors present compelling evidence for the critical involvement of ionized side chains—whether pore-facing or buried—rather than backbone atoms and propose a mechanism whereby not only their charge sign, but also, their conformation determines charge selectivity.