Specifically, we are interested in the function of lipid transporters (flippases) and how these can be modulated through photopharmacology, the structure and function of proteins involved in endocytosis (using techniques such as Cryo Electron Tomography and various fluorescence labeling, microscopy, and spectroscopy approaches), the function of intrinsically disordered proteins on membranes (using 2D NMR spectroscopy and various fluorescence techniques), all complemented with micromanipulation techniques and interpretation with thermodynamic and statistical mechanical models and simulations. A recent development in our lab has been to ask to what extent and by what mechanisms protein-protein liquid phase separation, referred to as LLPS, contributes to some of these phenomena.
The Baumgart Group
