Dirk Slotboom
University of Groningen, the Netherlands
”My group combines biophysical (structural biology, spectroscopy), biochemical (membrane enzymology) and microbiological methods to study the mechanisms of membrane transport. We focus on fundamental questions related to structure and dynamics of the proteins involved in transport, and their interplay with the lipid bilayer environment. We use this knowledge to incorporate membrane transport functionality into synthetic cells, where we focus on the integration of activities of transporters involved in uptake of compounds, enzymes of minimal metabolic routes to convert them (for instance to produce ATP, NADH or chemiosmotic gradients), and finally transporters involved in export of waste compounds.”
”We incorporate membrane transport functionality into synthetic cells, where we focus on the combining transporters involved in uptake of compounds, enzymes of minimal metabolic routes to convert them (for instance to produce ATP, NADH or chemiosmotic gradients), and transporters that export produced waste compounds. Current challenges include (1) the functional integration of membrane transporters (and integral membrane proteins in general) into the lipid bilayer in the context of a synthetic cell that uses the PURE system for protein production, and (2) the compartmentalization of metabolic modules for efficient handling in the synthetic cell context.”
For more information, visit the The Membrane Enzymology group.
| Main area(s) | Sub-area(s) |
|---|---|
| Metabolism and energy for synthetic cells | Protein-based minimal metabolism for synthetic cells Minimal lipid metabolism Artificial light harvesting systems Synthetic membrane potentials Complex interlinked catalytic networks |