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DBT to begin research in areas of 'Structural Biology of Membrane Proteins'
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Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai
November 13 , 2017
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The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) will soon begin research in the
areas of 'Structural Biology of Membrane Proteins' which is aimed to
encourage and nurture multidisciplinary and collaborative research in
this field. The DBT has now invited research proposals from eligible
scientists built upon innovative ideas in the areas of membrane
proteins.
The area of research included transmembrane proteins
in human diseases and drug discovery; multi-protein assembles on cell
membranes in various physiological processes; plant and animal organelle
membrane proteins such as nucleus, golgi, chloroplast etc; bacterial
and viral membrane proteins and their complexes with host factors; and
cell surface protein and ligand assemblies involved in important
physiological processes, etc.
Membrane proteins and their
complexes play crucial roles in many cellular and physiological
processes. They are essential mediators of material, information, and
energy transfer between cells and their environment, between
compartments within the cell, and between compartments comprising the
organ systems. Functionally normal membrane proteins are vital to
health, and specific defects are associated with many known disease
states. Membrane proteins are the targets of a large number of
pharmacologically and toxicologically active substances and are
responsible, in part, for their uptake, metabolism, and clearance.
Extensive
research is ongoing in the area of membrane protein structure and
function, yet relatively few investigators have successfully applied the
techniques of x-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, or NMR
spectroscopy to solve the high resolution structures of their proteins
due to the intrinsic challenges. Even though 30-40% protein of the cells
are known to be membrane proteins, yet only approximately 100 unique
membrane protein structures have been solved, and each structure has
made a major contribution in its respective area of science. Therefore,
it is apparent that a special effort is needed to promote studies of
membrane protein structures. An increase in the number of known membrane
protein structures will contribute to an enhanced understanding of many
basic phenomena underlying cellular functions important to human
health.
Applications may be submitted by public and private
universities, colleges, institutes, non-profit organizations (recognized
by DSIR as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (SIRO). It
is expected that some of the projects will be collaborative efforts
between and among chemists, biochemists, molecular biologists, and
biophysicists with expertise in the synthesis of probes, novel
solubilizing and stabilizing reagents; cloning and expression; isolation
and characterization of membrane-bound proteins; and in x-ray
crystallography, NMR, and other structural methods.
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