The structural biology of trace metal trafficking across membranes

该项目旨在研究必需的微量元素营养素是如何被细菌细胞识别并特异性地获得和排出的。细胞被生物膜包围，生物膜将细胞与环境隔开并保护它们。嵌入这些膜中的是执行基本功能的蛋白质。在细菌中，膜蛋白负责摄取和消除生存所需的微量元素。该项目将研究允许货物之间的区别，通过使用X射线晶体学定义其三维结构的完整膜蛋白的特征。这将有助于膜蛋白结构生物学领域和细胞微量元素稳态和毒性领域的基本发现。

This project aims to investigate how essential trace element nutrients are recognised and specifically acquired and expelled by bacterial cells. Cells are surrounded by biomembranes that separate and protect them from their environments. Embedded within these membranes are proteins that perform essential functions. In bacteria, membrane proteins are responsible for the uptake and elimination of trace elements that are required for survival. This project will investigate the features of integral membrane proteins that allow discrimination between cargo, by defining their three dimensional architectures using X-ray crystallography. This will contribute to the field of membrane protein structural biology and fundamental discoveries in the area of cellular trace element homeostasis and toxicity.