• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Saturday, August 2, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Chemistry

A microscopic topographic map of cellular function

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
June 12, 2019
in Chemistry
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

A decade of research leads MU scientists to a better understanding of how materials move out of cells

IMAGE

Credit: University of Missouri

The flow of traffic through our nation’s highways and byways is meticulously mapped and studied, but less is known about how materials in cells travel. Now, a team of researchers at the University of Missouri is challenging prior theories about how material leaves the inside of an E.coli cell. This discovery could have important implications for how we treat diseases.

“Proteins are like vehicles that can carry information and materials in cells,” said Gavin King, an associate professor of physics in the MU College of Arts and Science and joint associate professor of biochemistry. “We focused on the cells of E.coli, which have two membranes. We observed that when proteins exit the cell’s inner membrane, the cell adjusts the way it transfers the protein through the channel depending on the type of protein being transported.”

King worked with Linda Randall, professor emerita of biochemistry. Randall verified the transportation function of E.coli cells outside of their natural environment. Once verified, the samples were sent to King where King’s team used an atomic force microscope to study the movement of the E.coli proteins. Unlike previous studies where proteins were frozen, the atomic force microscope allows researchers to observe the proteins moving in a fluid environment that closely resembles their natural environment.

“Before our study there were two ways of describing how proteins moved across the cell membrane – either a piston-live movement similar to a car’s engine, or a more perpetual motion known as the Brownian ratchet,” King said. “Neither model accounted for the differences based on the type of protein being transported. Just as different types of vehicles move differently so do different types of proteins. The maps we made to depict the proteins’ movement suggest nature might be more complex than previously thought.”

These findings provide basic knowledge on how a cell sends and receives material and information. For instance, a drug can pass through membranes in order to affect a cell, and similarly, some information must pass through membrane channels to exit the cell. While other cells besides E.coli may not have E.coli’s exact protein transportation system, King said a similar system exists in all cells.

###

The study, “Direct visualization of the E. coli Sec translocase engaging precursor proteins in lipid bilayers,” was published in Science Advances. Funding was provided by an endowment from the Hugo Wurdack Trust at MU, a grant from the National Institutes of Health (GM29798), a National Science Foundation CAREER Award (1054832) and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interface. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies.

Other authors on this study include Raghavendar Reddy Sanganna Gari, a postdoctoral fellow at Cornell University and formerly of the MU Department of Physics and Astronomy; Kanokporn Chattrakun of the MU Department of Physics and Astronomy; Nagaraju Chada, a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University and formerly of the MU Department of Physics and Astronomy; Brendan P. Marsh, a graduate student at Stanford University and formerly of the MU Department of Physics and Astronomy; and Chunfeng Mao of the MU Department of Biochemistry.

Media Contact
Eric Stann
[email protected]

Original Source

https://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2019/0612-a-microscopic-topographic-map-of-cellular-function/

Related Journal Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aav9404

Tags: Atomic PhysicsAtomic/Molecular/Particle PhysicsBiochemistryBiologyBiomechanics/BiophysicsCell BiologyChemistry/Physics/Materials SciencesMedicine/HealthMolecular Physics
Share13Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Innovative Acid-Base Bifunctional Catalyst Enhances Production of Essential Lithium-Ion Battery Material

Innovative Acid-Base Bifunctional Catalyst Enhances Production of Essential Lithium-Ion Battery Material

August 1, 2025
Oven-Temperature Treatment (~300℃) Enhances Catalyst Performance by Six Times

Oven-Temperature Treatment (~300℃) Enhances Catalyst Performance by Six Times

August 1, 2025

5 Innovations Securing Water Sources and Ensuring Availability

August 1, 2025

Innovative Imaging Technique Reveals Elemental Distributions in Frozen Solvents within Nanomaterials

August 1, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • Blind to the Burn

    Overlooked Dangers: Debunking Common Myths About Skin Cancer Risk in the U.S.

    60 shares
    Share 24 Tweet 15
  • Dr. Miriam Merad Honored with French Knighthood for Groundbreaking Contributions to Science and Medicine

    46 shares
    Share 18 Tweet 12
  • Study Reveals Beta-HPV Directly Causes Skin Cancer in Immunocompromised Individuals

    38 shares
    Share 15 Tweet 10
  • Sustainability Accelerator Chooses 41 Promising Projects Poised for Rapid Scale-Up

    35 shares
    Share 14 Tweet 9

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Strawberry Notch 1 Protects Neurons by Regulating Yeats4

Revolutionary AI Tool Requires Minimal Data to Analyze Medical Images

Innovative Acid-Base Bifunctional Catalyst Enhances Production of Essential Lithium-Ion Battery Material

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.