Research TopicsDepartment of Microbiology
Ph.D. (1968) University of California, Irvine
Research Topics
Research Interests
My laboratory works in two main areas, regulation of lipid metabolism and protein-lipid interaction. In both areas, the organism studied is Escherichia coli due to its sophisticated genetics and simple lipid composition. We have studied the mechanisms that regulate the composition of the membrane phospholipids of E. coli and are currently concerned how this organism regulates lipid synthesis such that it is neither "fat nor lean." Our work on protein-lipid interactions is centered about systems that allow a genetic analysis of these interactions. These are: i) E. coli pyruvate oxidase, a soluble enzyme whose activity is greatly stimulated by phospholipids, ii) E. coli cyclopropane fatty acid synthesis, a soluble enzyme where substrate is found in nonpolar regions of lipid bilayers and iii) the bacterial virus PR4, which encapsidates a phospholipid bilayer. Our approaches to the problem studied are genetics, molecular cloning, in vitro synthesis of genes, protein purification, and enzymology.
Key Words
Recombinant DNA, Gene Expression Systcms, Molecular Evolution,
Virology, Microbial Physiology, Membrane Structure and Function, Protein Purification
and Characterization
Current Research Funding NSF, PHS, American Heart Association