Membrane Proteins
and Membrane Systems Laboratory

The cells from our body as well as intracellular organelles are surrounded by a thin sheet called the membrane, which is primarily made of lipids and proteins. Membranes are much more than merely a barrier that insulates the outside medium from the inside of the cell. Membranes coordinate a number of cell signaling events, e.g. through the recruitment of peripheral proteins like small G proteins. Besides, chief amongst the cell membranes constituents are integral membrane proteins, which act as biological gatekeepers, controlling the flow of biomolecules through transporters and transmitting signals through receptors. As such, integral membrane proteins are involved in a host of different functions, ranging from cell signaling, membrane trafficking, ion/lipid transport, cell detoxication, cell energization, to the generation of membrane potential. This is exemplified by the fact that 30% of a large number of genomes encodes membrane proteins and that about 50% of currently used drugs target membrane proteins. Membrane proteins have also important roles in the pharmacokinetics (tissue distribution, metabolism and clearance), safety and efficacy profile of many pharmaceutical drugs, and in the drug-resistant mechanisms operating in many pathogens.