Membrane Enzymology

The research program of the Membrane Enzymology Group is aimed at the understanding of the structure and enzymatic properties of membrane proteins, with a focus on proteins involved in the transport of small molecule substrates across the cell membrane. The group has an exceptionally broad expertise in microbiological, biochemical, analytical and biophysical techniques which allow multidisciplinary approaches to study the mechanisms of membrane transport. Techniques include flux assays using radioactive substrates in whole cells, membrane vesicles and proteoliposomes containing purified proteins, electrophysiology, microscopy -including confocal and single molecule techniques-, X-ray crystallography, calorimetry, spectroscopy (fluorescence, CD, absorption), mass spectromerty, chromatography. Via local collaborations the group has access to molecular dynamics techniques, synthetic chemistry, NMR, high resolution microscopy, electron microscopy.