Understanding biological membranes in atomic detail (2016-2018)
Abstract
The aim is to develop the capacity to represent specific mammalian, fungal and bacterial membranes in atomic detail and to use such models to understand the role of membrane composition in the structure and dynamics of membrane proteins at an atomic level. Membrane protein assemblies are the ultimate nano-scale machines. Understanding these sub-cellular components is both a fundamental theoretical challenge and of widespread practical importance in biochemistry, structural biology and medicine. By representing in detail the complexity of biological membranes we will elucidate the role played by specific membrane components in determining the mechanism of action of proteins involved in transport and signal transduction in context.
