Dr. Gerald Reeck's laboratory
"We are studying a small protein that is found in many organs and is known to occur in an altered (mutant) form in several human cancers. We have isolated the gene for the protein (called ARMET), so that it can be made in bacterial cells. This allows us to study its properties. Preliminary evidence suggests it is a calcium binding protein. We intend to determine the ARMET protein's three-dimensional structures, and identify proteins that it interacts with. These studies should allow us to begin to understand the protein's roles in normal and cancer cells. We are also exploring two other systems (insect species that are genetic model organisms) in which the protein occurs and in which we can conduct experiments aimed directly at understanding its biological role."
