William T. Wickner

I have studied the mechanisms whereby proteins are translocated across biological membranes. This study has led us to isolate the "preprotein translocase" from E. coli. It consists of a multisubunit, integral membrane domain and a subunit that is bound to the membrane surface. This latter subunit serves as both the receptor for presecretory proteins and as an ATP-driven carrier that transports successive loops of the presecretory protein across the membrane. My group is also exploring the inheritance of cytoplasmic organelles through study of the yeast vacuole. Its division and inheritance are cell cycle and spatially regulated and require common proteins of vesicular traffic.