Serena Huang Rose Hills
Reconstitution of Supported Lipid Bilayers on Cryo-EM Grids
Peripheral membrane proteins are critical for many biological processes and are important targets for drug development, but their structural analysis remains challenging using traditional techniques. My project aims to develop a new method for characterizing membrane-associated proteins with single-particle cryo-EM by creating supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) directly onto cryo-EM grids. SLBs offer a native-like, fluid environment that better preserves protein structure and function compared to nanodiscs or liposomes, which can restrict movement or interfere with imaging. By forming SLBs on grids and attaching membrane-associated proteins, this system could minimize protein denaturation at the air-water interface and promote a more uniform distribution of particle orientations. The goal of my project is to create a platform for studying a wide range of peripheral membrane proteins and complexes that are difficult to analyze using current structural biology methods, expanding the toolkit for understanding dynamic membrane-protein interactions at the molecular level.
Message To Sponsor
Thank you for making this project possible! I am truly grateful for the opportunity to devote my time this summer to my project, and I am looking forward to learning and growing as a scientist.