BBMB Research Seminars

March 27, 2008
Wonhwa Cho
University of Illinois at Chicago
1414 Molecular Biology Buidling
4:10 p.m.
Bio (PDF)

Spatiotemporal regulation of cellular processes by lipids and lipid-binding proteins:
proteomics and single molecule studies

The spatial regulation is the key to the successful orchestration of cellular protein-protein
interactions and networking. Cellular membranes serve as the main sites for protein complexes
and networks and the interaction of proteins with various membrane lipids is critical for spatial
regulation of protein networking. We have developed a wide variety of computational, structural,
biophysical, high-throughput screening, and cell imaging techniques for proteomics-scale
identification and characterization of new lipid binding domains and proteins and for real-time
monitoring of various bioactive lipids. Using these tools, we have studied the mechanisms by
which various cellular lipids specifically and divergently regulate diverse cellular processes,
including cell signaling, membrane remodeling and trafficking, cell polarization, and
development. Also, single molecule measurements have provided high-resolution mechanistic
information into the lipid-mediated protein-protein interactions and cell regulation. New structural
and functional insights learned from these studies will be discussed.