Dr. Ho continues to study the molecular basis of transport processes in cell membranes by characterizing the molecular structures of and intermolecular interactions between individual membrane-associated components. The active transport of L- glutamine in membrane vesicles of E. Coli will be used as a model for investigating the essential processes in active transport, namely recognition, translocation, recovery and energy coupling. Techniques to be used include molecular genetics, X-ray crystallography and NMR. Cell membranes are the site of a large number of biological processes. Thus, knowledge of their molecular biology is one of the most important and active areas of research at the present time. An understanding of the molecular organization and dynamic interactions of the protein and lipid components of membranes is essential for a detailed description of a wide variety of normal and pathological cellular processes.
