W0357

Structural Studies of Membrane Protein Function and Stability. Douglas C. Rees, California Institute of Technology/HHMI, Pasadena, CA 91125 USA.

Integral membrane proteins participate in many biological transduction and transport processes by mediating the flows of matter, energy and information across membranes. Despite their functional significance, membrane proteins have been much less extensively characterized than water-soluble proteins due to the experimental difficulties in mimicking the surrounding membrane and interfacial environments. Challenges for the crystallographic structure determination of membrane proteins will be described in the context of the structure determination of MscL, a gated, prokaryotic mechanosensitive channel. Functional implications of MscL for channel organization and function will be addressed, along with consequences of the nonpolar folding environment for the general structural organization of membrane proteins.