Scott Scholz (Dynapore):
Engineering of a mechanosensitive channel into a direct binding sensor
Summary:
We have engineered the mechanosensitive channel MscL to be sensitive to direct binding of specific targets. By lowering the opening tension threshold and introducing specific binding modules, ionic current through MscL is altered by specific binding. We are working on improving several elements of the platform for application on pathogenic bacteria detection.

Markus Meier:
Genetic in Vitro System to Dissect and Engineer Protein Translocation
Summary:
The Sec translocon is indispensable for cellular life both chaperoning the biogenesis of membrane proteins and facilitating protein export. We developed a genetic in vitro system to synthesize functional E. coli SecYEG and study its activity in high throughput and in real-time. This platform enabled us to dissect Sec biology, improve cell-free membrane protein quality, efficiently screen signal peptides for protein export and engineer protein translocation in vitro.