The membrane poses a different set of evolutionary pressures than aqueous solution. We want to understand how the membrane environment influences evolutionary processes, like the evolution of complexity, oligomerization, and the evolution of novel protein functions. The channels and transporters that we work on are excellent model systems to provide fundamental insights into these questions. In addition to structural biology and biochemistry, we use approaches like saturation mutagenesis and next generation sequencing to test evolutionary hypotheses.
Read about the evolution of Fluc channels here:
Macdonald CB, Stockbridge RB. (2017). A topologically diverse family of fluoride channels. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol.45:142-149. Read about it here!
