Novel Physical Methods for Determining Membrane Protein Dynamics and Kinetics

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Project Summary and Training Goals I am interested in the dynamic binding interactions between membrane proteins. How do they interact, and how tightly and rapidly do they bind and unbind? How do these interactions affect protein function? I propose to develop new techniques to answer these questions, including a new way to measure binding/unbinding rates, and a new research tool called a "biomimetic endoplasmic reticulum." Development of these new technologies will require an intensive period of training in biomedical engineering and kinetics. This additional training will greatly enhance my professional preparation for a career as an independent research scientist. Relevance to Public Health The goals of this research project are important, both in terms of the model proteins studied directly, and in terms of the proposed technical advancement of the study of membrane proteins generally. Disorders of the SERCA pump and its regulation by phospholamban have been correlated to disease, including heart failure. By understanding how these proteins work we might develop drugs or other clinical therapies to intervene in the disease process. Furthermore, the technical developments I propose are likely to be generally applicable to the study of many other clinically important membrane proteins.