Research Interests

Our group maintains a long-standing interest in the structure and function of macromolecular complexes, with an emphasis on membrane protein biology. Areas of investigation have included molecular mechanisms facilitating solute transport, intra-membrane proteolysis, cell-cell interactions, and protein-protein interaction networks. As a member of the ENIGMA SFA program, a significant portion of our research has focused on the identification and characterization of cell membrane-based mechanisms utilized in bacterial stress response, and the formation and maintenance of microbial communities.  The subjects of these studies have been characterized using a range of biophysical and biochemical approaches involving methods such as the large-scale purification of recombinant and endogenously expressed proteins, liposome reconstitution, electron microscopy, X-ray and electron crystallography, X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), molecular dynamics simulations and proteomics.

Selected Publications