More is Different: Membrane Protein Function as a Collective Phenomenon

Microbiology Seminar Series

  • Datum: 19.06.2023
  • Uhrzeit: 13:15
  • Vortragende(r): Prof. Christoph Haselwandter
  • University of Southern California, Quantitative and Computational Biology, Los Angeles, USA
  • Ort: MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology
  • Raum: Lecture Hall / Hybrid
  • Gastgeber: Prof. Dr. Victor Sourjik
  • Kontakt: victor.sourjik@synmikro.mpi-marburg.mpg.de

Over the past two decades, structural biology has provided enormous insight into the shape of membrane proteins. Beyond shape, however, membrane protein function can also depend on the protein’s elastic properties and its interaction with the surrounding lipid bilayer. Using Piezo ion channels as our model system and theoretical physics as our „microscope“, we demonstrate how the mechanical properties of proteins in lipid membranes can be deduced solely from membrane shape measurements. We show how these insights can be leveraged to understand the physical basis for the sensation of touch and other important biological processes.

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