Time-resolved experiments to study conformational changes of homo- and heterodimeric ABC transporters in solution

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Henning Tidow
• Subject Area: Structural Biology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 546850610

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters catalyze substrate translocation across cellular membranes and are ubiquitously expressed in all domains of life. The reaction cycle of ABC transporters is still not completely understood. This proposal seeks to understand the complete reaction cycle of homo- and heterodimeric ABC transporters using a combination of small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) in lipidic carrier systems, time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (TR-SAXS) guided by specific nanobodies trapping the transporters in defined states and time-resolved cryo-electron microscopy (TR-EM). Our ultimate goal is to identify the accompanying structural transitions with high temporal resolution.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants