Kimberly I. Matulef, Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Office: ST 489
Phone: (619) 260-4031
Email: kmatulef@sandiego.edu

Our lab is interested in understanding how proteins found in cellular membranes regulate the flow of ions such as chloride and protons into and out of cells.  The family of membrane proteins that we study, the CLC “chloride channel” family, is expressed in organisms ranging from bacteria to humans.   In bacteria, these proteins are necessary for survival under extremely acidic conditions.  In mammals, ClC proteins are critical in the muscle, brain, cardiovascular system, kidneys, and bone.

This family of chloride-transport proteins is distinctive in that some members are passive transporters (ion channels) while others are active transporters (antiporters). These two types of ion transport have classically been thought to be fundamentally different from one another. The long term goals of our lab are to use novel bacterial CLC homologs to understand the molecular basis underlying these two types of ion transport processes.