Marc G. Caron

Discoveries concerning in vivo functions of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and neurotransmitters transporters. Contributions on solubilization, photoaffinity labeling, and purification of GPCRs led to cloning of genes encoding members of this large receptor family. Also contributed to the discovery of how receptor signaling is regulated by kinases and arrestins, and to defining molecular signals for their endocytosis and recycling as functional entities. His genetic gain and loss-of-function models provided evidence for the importance of GPCR regulation through kinases and arrestins and identified one of the first in vivo examples of G protein- versus arrestin-mediated GPCR signaling. His cloning and genetic targeting of neurotransmitter transporters contributed significantly to the field of neurobiology. His genetically engineered mice have been powerful tools for dissecting the contribution of dopaminergic circuitries in health and disease, and in translational approaches to development of more efficacious and selective antipsychotic and Parkinson's disease therapies based on the functional selective signaling of dopamine receptors.