Mechanical channel gating and on-chip protein expression for direct insertion of membrane proteins

Many cell types are mechanosensitive and employ membrane channels for this function. We build here on the previously developed microfabricated porous substrate supported membranes integrated in a microfluidic chip with electrical and optical access. We will pursue a micromechanical understanding of mechanosensitive channels. In parallel with numerical simulations, we will analyze the mechanical gating of channels of the K2P family reconstituted into giant unilamellar vesicles. By cell-free expression on the microfluidic chips, we will develop a new way to reconstitute channels directly.