Membrane Protein Complexes
Biological membranes are fascinating because everything a cell needs to live, grow and respond has to either pass through or act on them. The globally important energy conversion processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration happen in membranes, every sensory stimulus and the information processing in the brain is mediated by them.
This array of diverse actions is performed by a large number of different membrane proteins which, according to recent estimates, account for up to 30% of all genes in every genome sequenced so far. In the crowded conditions of the cell membrane, most membrane proteins associate into larger units and complex, dynamic assemblies to carry out their various tasks.
For this reason, and because they are embedded in the lipid bilayer, most membrane proteins are difficult to express and crystallize, and their functions are often intractable. Scientists in this Cluster have done groundbreaking work to overcome many of these problems, and consequently, Frankfurt has become a world-leading centre in the study of membrane proteins and membrane protein complexes.
In research area A, we address four fundamental membrane processes: biological energy conversion (A.1), membrane transport (A.2), information processing at the synapse (A.3), and signalling by G protein-coupled receptors (A.4). We isolate key membrane protein complexes or express their components for structural determination by X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM and solid-state NMR, and investigate their function by the unique array of biophysical techniques available in Frankfurt.
Our goal is a comprehensive understanding of the molecular architecture and mode of action of the intricate and crucial protein complexes in and on the membrane.
Individual research areas:
