About

Research Interests

Our current research centers on the molecular structure and biochemical functions of signaling transduction systems involved in membrane trafficking and cell signaling. Our goal is to understand how protein domains transduce cell signaling from biological membranes. Our laboratory employs biophysical approaches including high field nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, circular dichroism, computer modeling, fluorescence spectroscopy, and surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy to determine ligand binding pockets and membrane insertion of protein domains from molecular to atomic resolution. We validate our functional and structural approaches by using normal and disease-associated cell lines. With these tools we can establish how protein-ligand interactions control the function of proteins by modulating their subcellular localization.

Keywords:
Protein domains- lipids – membrane insertion – protein structure – membrane trafficking.