![[picture of Dr. Payne]](../graphics/payne.gif)
Richard Payne
| Associate
Professor |
| Dept. of
Biology |
| University
of Maryland |
| College Park,
Maryland 20742 |
| Phone:
(301)-405-6924 |
| E-mail:
rp12@umail.umd.edu |
| Research Interest: Sensory Transduction |
Dr. Payne investigates mechanisms of visual excitation in photoreceptors.
The research concentrates on messenger molecules released by light inside photoreceptor
cells. These messengers mediate and modulate the electrical response of the photoreceptor
to light. The messenger currently under investigation is inositol trisphosphate,
which releases calcium from internal stores within a wide range of animal and
plant cells. When injected into the giant photoreceptors of the horseshoe crab,
inositol trisphosphate mimics excitation of the cell by light. Biochemical studies
have shown that light releases inositol trisphosphate from the photoreceptor's
membrane into the cell interior. These giant photoreceptors are one of the few
living cells in which the actions of this important messenger can be easily studied.
The research combines methods of micro-injecting messengers into cells with optical
and electrophysiological techniques that monitor intracellular calcium release
and the activity of ionic channels.
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