Research Expertise and Interest

protein function, Structural Biology, biochemistry, membrane proteins

Research Description

Eunyong Park is an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology.  His research group studies the biogenesis and homeostasis of intracellular organelles, such as endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. Specifically, the group has been investigating how newly synthesized polypeptides are transported across the membranes of these organelles, how targeting specificity is determined, how quality control systems recognize dysfunctional proteins and organelles, and how dysregulation of machineries mediating these pathways is involved in human diseases. To address these questions, they combine structural and biochemical approaches, including cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Since its inception in 2018, the group has elucidated the molecular mechanisms of several membrane protein complexes that are essential for protein targeting and quality control, including the Sec complex, the TOM and TIM complexes, and the P5A-ATPase.