Professor Alexey S. Ladokhin, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center

Lipids, protons and divalent cations as regulators of membrane protein insertion

The process of conversion of a soluble protein structure into a membrane-inserted one is one of the least understood problems of biophysical chemistry.  While the insertion/refolding transitions are involved in numerous physiological processes, (e.g., viral and bacterial entry into the cell and regulation of a controlled cell death via apoptosis), they are notoriously difficult to study.

In my talk, I will present our latest progress in applying spectroscopic and computational techniques to deciphering thermodynamic and structural aspects of membrane protein refolding on lipid interfaces and their insertion into the membrane. The examples will include apoptotic inhibitor Bcl-xL; MPER fragment of gp41 (a target for HIV-neutralizing antibodies); and cancer-targeting peptide pHLIP.

Host: Professor Daniel Otzen, iNANO & Dept. of Molecular Biology and Genetics, AU