Cellular membrane proteins play many important roles throughout the body, including transporting substances in and out of the cell, transmitting signals, speeding up reactions and helping neighboring cells stick together. When they malfunction, it can cause serious diseases including cancer, making them attractive drug targets. But understanding how membrane proteins behave and function can be challenging because their position within the cell’s lipid membrane—a tightly-packed double layer of fat-like molecules—makes them difficult to study.
Scientists unlock new patterns of protein behavior in cell membranes
