Research Projects

We are interested in how substances are transported across biological membranes. Because a lipid membrane represents a physical/chemical barrier against most substances, nature has produced a vast array of proteins to that embed themselves in the membrane and mediate the process. Each substance requires its unique membrane protein to recognize and carry that substance across the membrane. We study a few selected examples to understand how they accomplish their task. These proteins represent a variety of different families and responsible for a diverse array of substrates (ions, auxin, sterols). The proteins are typically produced in bacteria or yeast and, after purification, a variety of biophysical and structural techniques are used to characterize their behavior. Much of this work is done in collaboration with other labs, either locally or internationally, and makes use of instrumentation from core facilities at NYU and beyond.