Javier Navarro , Ph.D.Dr. Navarro

Professor, Dept. of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Member, Sealy Center for Molecular Medicine

2.206B Mary Moody North Pavilion
Telephone: (409) 772-5480
Fax: (409) 772-1301
Mail Route:0437
Email: jnavarro@utmb.edu

Research Interests

My work focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). These are seven-helix transmembrane receptors acting as detectors of signals including odor, light, hormones, neurotransmitters, and as mediators for the entry of HIV-1. Genes encoding these receptors occupy a hefty 3% of the human genome. Of importance is that these receptors are the target of about 60% of drugs used to treat human diseases. My laboratory discovered the first gene encoding a chemokine receptor, and elucidated the X-ray structures of two heptahelical transmembrane sensory receptors. My lab is also working on applying structure-based translational approaches for the design and synthesis of the new generation of anti-inflammatory agents.

Selected Publications

  1. Hayashi, S., Tajkhorshid, E., Pebay-Peyroula, E., Royant, A., Landau, E.M., Navarro, J. and Schulten, K. Structural determinants of spectral tuning in the Rhodopsin family of proteins. J. Phys. Chem. B. 105, 10124, 2001.
  2. Royant, A., Nollert, P., Edman, K., Neutze, R., Landau, E.M., Pebay-Peyroula, E., and Navarro, J. X-ray structure of sensory rhodopsin II at 2.1 Å resolution. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 98:10131, 2001.
  3. Navarro, J., Landau, E.M. and Fahmy, K. Receptor-dependent G Protein activation in a lipidic cubic phase. Biopolymers 67:167-177, 2002
  4. Edman, K., Royant, A., Nollert, P., Maxwell, C.A., Pebay-Peyroula, E., Navarro, J., Neutze, R., and Landau, E.M. Early structural rearrangements in the photocycle of a sensory receptor. Structure (Camb) 10:473-483, 2002.
  5. Okada, T., Fujiyoshi, Y., Silow, M., Navarro, J., Landau, E.M.,and Yoshinori, S. Functional role of internal water molecules in rhodopsin revealed by x-ray crystallography. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99:5982-5987, 2002.
  6. Suetomi, K., Rojo, D., and Navarro, J. Identification of a signal transduction switch in the chemokine receptor CXCR1. J. Biol. Chem. 277:31563-31566, 2002.
  7. Yasser Qutub, Ilya Reviakine, Carrie Maxwell, Javier Navarro, Ehud Landau, Peter G. Vekilov. In cubo mechanisms of growth and defect formation of three- dimensional bacteriorhodopsin crystals. J. Mol.Biol 343:1243-1254, 2004
  8. Sarmiento, J., Aņazco C.C.,Campos, D., Prado, L., Vergara, L., Navarro, J. and Gonzalez, C. Regulation of the Surface Expression of the Vasopressin Receptor V2 by Dimerization with an Alternative Splice Variant. J. Biol.Chem. 279: 47017-47023, 2004
  9. Sutton, R.B., Vishnivetskiy, S.A., Robert, J., Hanson, S.M., Raman,D., Knox B.E., Kono, M., Navarro, J. and Gurevich, V.V. Crystal Structure of a Novel Visual Arrestin: Evolution of Receptor Specificity. J. Mol. Biol.354:1069-1080, 2005
  10. Rajarathnam, K; Prado, G.; Fernando, H.; Clark-Lewis I.; and Navarro, J. Probing Receptor Binding Activity of Interleukin-8 Dimer using a disulfide-trap. Biochemistry 45: 7882-7888, 2006