Membrane interactions
Biological membranes enclose both the cell and its different compartments. An essential feature of a biomembrane is that it is a selectively permeable structure. This means that the cell membrane essentially controls which molecules are allowed to interact with intracellular macromolecules. The vital role of cell membranes has become even more evident as we have realized that more than half of all proteins interact with membranes (either transiently or permanently). Even so, less than 1% of the more than 50 000 experimentally solved protein structures in the protein data bank are of membrane proteins.
Main content
Proteins interacting reversibly with biological membranes constitute interesting studies
Proteins interacting reversibly with biological membranes constitute interesting subjects in biomedical studies. The proteins where such behaviour is part of their function are called amphitropic proteins, and these need to be able to switch between being water-soluble and being membrane-bound in a controlled manner. We investigate amphitropic proteins, with a-lactalbumin as a model protein in these studies. We are developing methods to investigate the affinity and reversibility for these interactions, as well as the effects of protein binding on the integrity of the membrane.
Articaine Membrane Interactions
The study of how drugs interact with their biological targets has traditionally been an investigation the interaction of a drug molecule with a protein (or other macromolecular) binding pocket. Drug interaction and drug penetration of lipid-membranes is by far a much less studied phenomenon, although this is often a prerequisite for the drug- macromolecule interaction to occur. For several drugs, in particular antipsychotic agents, it has been postulated that the target is in fact the lipid membrane itself. However, the molecular basis of the therapeutic effect of these drugs is not completely understood. By applying biophysical techniques in combination with molecular modelling we seek to gain a deeper understanding of the processes involved in molecular interactions with biological membranes.