Official Project Description
Projects 17745-17750 Molecular basis of secondary active transporters. Secondary active membrane transporters are proteins that utilize ions to transport an assortment of molecules across cell membranes.
These proteins are found in all domains in life and surprisingly, despite vastly different structures, operate under the same mechanism by using an ion gradient to assist in small molecule transport.
Furthermore, many of these secondary active transporters are drug targets to treat diseases like cancer, diabetes, and neurological disorders.
The simulations in this project will allow us to understand a universal role of ion-coupling across different families of proteins.