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Thusitha Paluwatte-Muhandiramlage
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Education:
B.S., Chemistry
University of
Colombo, Sri Lanka
2001
CV
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Research Project:
The construction of intracellular sensors for biologically important
molecules is a very active area in current research. Such sensors need
to be biocompatible, compact and generate an analytically useful signal.
Transmembrane proteins embedded in a biocompatible lipid bilayer mimics
a biological system as it enables selective transport of molecules/ions
and provides an isolated environment that is suitable for use in
biological sensors due to compatibility with cellular environments. My
research work is primarily focused on the construction of such sensors
to measure intracellular glucose levels.
Monitoring intracellular glucose level is of fundamental importance in
understanding diabetes which is a common disease afflicting millions
worldwide. The sensors constructed under this project are based on
glucose transport proteins such as GLUT- 2 and Glucose binding proteins
(GBP) which undergo conformational changes upon binding to glucose.
GLUT-2 serves as the glucose selective transporter. GBPs are useful in
construction of FRET probes due to conformational changes that they
undergo upon binding of glucose. Other optical methods for detection of
glucose will be utilized, for comparison of data with the FRET probes.
The schematic of the proposed sensor is given below.
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The construction of
recombinant GLUT-2 is in progress and I am currently working on making a
stable cell line that will express genetically modified GLUT-2. Initial
characterization of these would be carried out by expressing the
proteins in Xenopus oocytes .The glucose transportation dynamics
will be observed using microelectrodes. After characterizing the
proteins inside the oocytes, they will be embedded in a suitable lipid
bilayer and optimization for use as biosensors will follow thereafter.
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