Mapping protein nanoenvironments

Super-resolution imaging has revealed that most proteins at the plasma membrane are not uniformly distributed but localize to domains of nanoscale dimensions.

The composition and spatial organization of membrane protein nanodomains are dynamic and often modulated by ligand binding, suggesting that they have functional relevance.Membrane proteins are the targets of more than 60% of all drugs currently in clinical use.

Therefore, it is critically important to understand the biology of membrane proteins and the biochemical and biophysical variables that regulate their function.

This research plan aims to overcome a critical bottleneck in understanding membrane protein biology by developing new tools to analyse membrane protein nanoenvironments in single cells and cell populations.We will use DNA origami to convert spatial information into a DNA sequencing readout, providing a method for unbiased analysis of protein nanoenvironments in cells and cell populations.

Our long term goal is to provide insights into the relationships between the protein nanoenvironments of membrane receptors, their signalling functions and the mode of action of drugs that target membrane receptors.