Wednesday, 4 May 4:00pm – 5:00pm

This seminar will be delivered in Online Zoom Please email chemistry.researchsupport@sydney.edu.au for zoom link and password.

Speaker: Dr Francesco Tadini Buoninsegni; The University of Florence

Host: A/Prof. Ron Clarke

Title: Solid supported membrane-based electrophysiology to investigate charge movements by membrane transporters

Abstract: Among the many techniques used to study membrane transport proteins, the electrophysiological method based on solid supported membranes (SSM) has been widely employed to investigate the activity of various membrane transporters. The SSM is formed by a hybrid alkanethiol/phospholipid bilayer supported by a gold electrode. Membrane fragments/vesicles or proteoliposomes incorporating the membrane transporter of interest are adsorbed on the SSM surface, and the protein is then activated by a concentration jump of a suitable substrate. Following protein activation, an electrical current signal is measured which is related to a charge movement generated by the membrane transporter.

In this seminar, we present the basic features and principles behind this technique. We also discuss how the SSM method can be used to investigate the charge transport mechanism of P-type ATPases, a superfamily of membrane transporters. Finally, we show that drug/protein interactions can be conveniently monitored on SSMs. In particular, we discuss the effects of some pharmacologically relevant compounds on Ca²⁺ ions translocation by the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase, which is a prominent member of the P-type ATPase family and an important target for a variety of drugs.