Lawrence Gray

Mentor: Shahram Khademi, PhD

Year Entered Into Program: 2007

PhD Institution: University of Iowa, 2012

Affiliations

  • Department of Biochemistry

Research Description

My research in Dr. Khademi’s laboratory focuses on the structure and function of biologically important prokaryotic membrane proteins. About 30% of the genes in a cell encode membrane proteins. However, less than 0.5% of entries in PDB (a database for the coordinates of proteins with known structures) are membrane proteins. While more than 60% of drug receptors are membrane proteins, our knowledge of their structures and functions are very limited. My research goal is to determine the x-ray structure of essential membrane proteins from H. pylori. I will also conduct functional assays to determine the mechanism of action of these membrane proteins.

Awards

  • Dr. Lois Bigger Gehring Award, Dept of Biochem, Univ of Iowa
  • 2nd Place Poster Award, Dept of Biochem, Univ of Iowa, 2010
  • PBI postdoctoral fellow best paper competition, Univ of Iowa, 2015

Publications

  1. Gray, L.R., Gu, S.X., Quick, M., Khademi, S.:  Transport kinetics and selectivity of HpUreI, the urea channel from Helicobacter pylori. Biochemistry 50(40:8656-63, 2011.  PMCID: PMC5497592

 

Research