Developing Oriented Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy as a Methodological Tool for Characterising Membrane Proteins

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Membrane proteins are physiologically-important molecules that are embedded in the phospholipid bilayers surrounding cells. They are the targets of a large number of pharmaceutical drugs because many of them, when mutated, are the causes of diseases. Most methods for examining membrane proteins require that the membranes that surround the proteins be dissolved by detergents, which removes interactions both with each other and with the surrounding lipids that may be important to their functioning. This proposal is to develop a methodological tool that will enable us to examine proteins in intact membranes, thereby preserving their native structure. The method, Oriented Circular Dichroism spectroscopy, would enable the examination of both their local structure and the changes in their structure and orientation associated with how they work.