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講者：陳儀帆教授
演講題目：On the Intersection of Physics, Chemistry and Biology: Studies on Lipid Polymorphism and Water-Protein Interaction
演講時間：5/9（五）15:30~17:20
演講地點：普通館 101
主持人：吳紀聖教授
On the Intersection of Physics, Chemistry and Biology: Studies on Lipid Polymorphism and Water-Protein Interaction
Yi-Fan Chen (陳儀帆)
Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National Central University, 300
Jhongda Rd., Jhongli City, Taoyuan 32001, Taiwan. E-mail: yifanchen@ncu.edu.tw
Lipids and proteins are the two major building blocks of cell membranes. Their individual properties and mutual interactions determine many vital biological processes in living organisms, not least because cell membranes are what delimit a "living" entity apart from the "lifeless" environment. To understand the working principles underlying many biological phenomena involving cell membranes, we employ physical and biophysical techniques and approaches, most importantly X-ray scattering and crystallography, to study structural and dynamical properties of lipids and proteins, both individually and collectively. Our current efforts with lipids focus on the polymorphic phase behaviour of phospholipids. The very fact that lipids can assume non-lamellar structures has puzzled and intrigued scientists for long since cell membranes are mostly seen in lamellar configurations. By exploring the physical principles behind lipid polymorphism, we will not only address this conundrum but also illuminate the phase transitions mechanisms of lyotropic liquid crystals in general. On the other side of our research efforts, we study the protein glass transition phenomenon (a behavioural change in protein dynamics) and its correlation with water. With the high structural resolution enabled by X-ray crystallography, we aim to understand how minute structural and dynamical changes in water can affect structures and dynamics of proteins, and vice versa. Ultimately, we will apply the knowledge learned from these two independent but actually correlated systems to the combined system – lipid membranes with membrane proteins embedded. In so doing, we expect to decipher the intertwined relations among structures, dynamics and biological functions of these two biomolecules.
關於本次演講資訊請參考附件檔案，謝謝。
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