Objective
The transfer of peptide segments into the lipid bilayer to form stable transmembrane helices is the crucial first step in membrane protein folding and assembly. However, the mechanisms that drive this process are not fully understood. A recent experimental assay has measured the insertion of designed peptide sequences into the endoplasmic reticulum membrane via the cellular translocon machinery. This has provided the first quantitative estimate of the translocon-to-membrane transfer free energy of polypeptide segments. However, no suitable experimental setup currently exists that allows the direct measurement of the free energy change involved in transferring peptides from water into lipid bilayers. This is because peptides that are hydrophobic enough to insert into membranes generally aggregate in solution. I propose an experimental peptide setup that directly measures the water to bilayer partitioning of a series of designed peptides that do not have this problem. These will be derived by minor re-engineering of pHLIP, a peptide based on helix C of bacteriorhodopsin. This peptide has a set of unique properties that make it ideal for the proposed study. It is soluble at neutral pH and spontaneously inserts into lipid bilayers when the pH is lowered. Remarkably, the peptide partitions as a monomer, without disrupting the bilayer, and has been shown not to aggregate either in solution or inside the bilayer. For theoreticians the proposed direct measurements are highly desirable, since they allow the calibration of current computer simulation models under identical conditions. Recent advances in algorithms and computer hardware have enabled fully converged simulations of the adsorption, folding and insertion of peptides into lipid bilayers. These studies have exposed striking differences between the various different methods used as well as currently established theory, which cannot be resolved without a suitable experimental dataset like the one proposed here.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering computer hardware
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins protein folding
- natural sciences mathematics applied mathematics mathematical model
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-IOF-2008
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Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
WC1E 7HX London
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.