Event interval: Single day event
Campus location: Chemistry Building (CHB)
Campus room: CHB 102
Accessibility Contact: chem59x@uw.edu
Event Types: Lectures/Seminars
Link: https://chunglab.colostate.edu/

Lipid Membrane Structure in Catalysis and Reactivity

Assistant Professor Jean Chung – Chemistry, Colorado State University

The cellular membrane not only defines the boundary of the cell, but also mediates the 
communication with the environment and organizes vital processes in space and time. In the 
inflammation process, liberating polyunsaturated fatty acids from phospholipids. The fatty acids 
are then oxidized by lipoxygenase, which leads to the overall oxidation of the membrane that 
underlies aging and a host of diseases. Here, we explore how the structural integrity of the cell 
membrane is linked to both the hydrolysis of phospholipids by phospholipase A2 and lipid 
peroxidation by lipoxygenase. We use model membrane systems, such as lipid vesicles and 
supported lipid bilayers combined with fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging to investigate the 
reactions involved in membrane breakdown