Helsinki Bioenergetics Group

University of Helsinki

Director: Academy Professor Mårten Wikström
Tel. +358 9 191 58000
Fax +358 9 191 58001
marten.wikstrom(at)helsinki.fi

Centre of Excellence Homepage

The Helsinki Bioenergetics Group is an interdisciplinary team of researchers whose main concern is with biological membrane proteins, particularly those that move ions through membranes. These proteins include the cell respiration enzyme, which catalyses the release of energy from foodstuffs in a "combustion" process using oxygen and which stores that energy for use by the cell by generating a proton gradient. Virtually all the oxygen we breathe is consumed in this process. The aim of the research is to unravel the three-dimensional structure of membrane proteins at atomic resolution and their function at microsecond resolution. The analysis of  function involves the use of sophisticated biophysical methods. The links between structure and function in the membrane protein are also studied by means of targeted mutagen esis, which applies genetic methods to transform parts of the protein structure in bacteria and then looks at the functional effects of these changes.

The Group has a staff of 19, including two professors, three senior researchers, two post-doctoral researchers, six post-graduate students, two undergraduate students and four administrative and technical staff.