The effect of membrane asymmetry on electron transfer in complex membrane proteins

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The asymmetric nature of biological membranes is emerging as an important factor in membrane protein function with the molecular basis and role of asymmetry remaining one of the most poorly understood phenomena in biology. We will investigate the impact of membrane asymmetry on the function and mechanisms of membrane-bound oxidoreductase enzymes at the heart of bioenergetics building on physical sciences innovation that will unlock a new microfluidic technology platform for reconstituting them into artificial membrane vesicles, with tunable lipid-composition, curvature and asymmetry. The development of novel pulse EPR approaches will allow the detection of low concentrations of spins from key radical intermediates. The technological innovations are expected to be broadly applicable to membrane proteins including redox- and metalloenzymes. The advances in understanding structural and mechanistic aspects of respiration and photosynthesis will pave the way to applications in medicine and energy technology.