Grant: Operating Grant

Cells are surrounded by a thin barrier of lipids and proteins called the cell membrane. Membranes separate the inside of a cell or a cellular compartment from the outside, which makes it possible to maintain different conditions inside the cell. Membranes have amazing mechanical and electrical properties despite being only a fraction of a micrometer thick. They are responsible for transporting nutrients, waste products, and information to and from the cell. In recent years our view of membranes has changed from a relatively homogeneous sheet of molecules to a patchwork with distinct properties in different areas of the membrane. This project examines some of the most fundamental interactions between the molecules that make up a membrane. In particular, we study the interactions between protein structures that are essential in transmitting information, a membrane thermometer that regulates membrane structure when the temperature changes, and a small protein from the flu virus that is essential in replicating viral particles for further infection.