Grant: Operating Grant

In my laboratory we study the structure and functions of proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. This intracellular organelle is involved in the control of virtually every aspect of normal and diseased cellular function including ion transport and storage, muscle contraction and relaxation, protein and lipid synthesis, protein modification and folding. The focus of our work is on endoplasmic reticulum chaperones, proteins involved in folding of other proteins. Impaired protein folding has been implicated in many devastating diseases such as Alzheimer, neurodegenerative diseases, atherosclerosis, cystic fibrosis to name just a few. Work from our laboratory indicates that endoplasmic reticulum proteins are essential for neuronal development and play a critical role in myelin formation. Therefore, our work is directly relevant to fundamental clinical problems such as multiple sclerosis and other myelin diseases. Endoplasmic reticulum associated proteins may become the future targets for clinical management of many neuropathies.