The objective of this research is to understand the dynamic organization of the cellular membranes of Escherichia coli through imaging the motion of constituent and incorporated molecules in the membranes using high-speed single molecule imaging techniques. The cell membrane acts as a permeability barrier between the inside of the cell and the outside and as a conduit through which the cell communicates with its environment. A key process that affects membrane organization is the motion of the molecules in the membrane, both the motions of the membrane-bound proteins and the lipids themselves. It is known that many proteins in the membranes of E. coli do not distribute evenly throughout the membrane, being found in distinct locations (e.g. the poles of the cell). The supposition is that the bacterial membrane is not a simple two- dimensional fluid but contains mechanisms to maintain a dynamic, heterogeneous distribution of molecules that may be crucial for the function of the membrane. Extension of single molecule techniques, which have been applied to eukaryotic cell membrane organization, to investigate the dynamic structure of the bacterial membranes will lead to a deeper understanding of how the bacterial cell senses and interacts with its environment (e.g. bacterial chemotaxis and bacterial infection). The mechanisms found to maintain dynamic structures in bacterial membranes will also further the understanding of membrane dynamics in all cellular systems. The project will afford new opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to conduct research at the interface of physics and biology. Results of this research will be presented periodically through seminars and colloquia to the undergraduate and graduate student population in physics, biology and chemistry to introduce them to the field of interdisciplinary life sciences
