Professor Hartmut Luecke
University of California
Irvine, CA

Monday, March 2, 1998
3:00 pm (CT)
3269 Beckman Institute

Abstract

The annexins are a diverse family of proteins without an established biological function. Annexins are present in all eukaryotic cells, often more than one member of the family being expressed in a single cell line. Annexins are soluble proteins with a high affinity for phospholipid bilayers in the presence of calcium. Annexins have been implicated in various membrane trafficking events including endocytosis, exocytosis and ion channel formation. All annexins contain a homologous (40-50%) C-terminal c ore domain which is comprised of four or eight tandem repeats. In contrast, the amino termini differ widely and may play a role in modulating function. The crystal structure of annexin XII has revealed a calcium-dependent homo-hexamer which promted us to propose a novel model for annexin:membrane intercation.

Tea and coffee will be served in R3151 Beckman Institute at 2:15pm.