Project: Characterization of Membrane Proteins
Membrane proteins are encoded by thirds of the human genetic code. Today, we know the existence of about 8000 membrane proteins and only 50 well-resolved structures. These proteins are of great importance in the field of biology which leads researchers, to date, to study the three-dimensional structure of membrane proteins in order to understand their mechanism and therefore have a notion of their functions. However, due to their hydrophobic character, the purification of membrane proteins from its environment is a very difficult maneuver thus, the study of its structure is laborious. Therefore, it is important to find new methods that will allow the study of these membrane proteins. The project relates to the separation by electrophoresis of membrane proteins, extracted from the cell plasma membrane, and inserted into a supported lipid bilayer.
This study is the subject of a collaboration with the Lebanese University de Balamand – Dr. F. Harb invited Professor AMU june-july 2023