Emily Linton
Campbell University
Erkan Karakas lab
My project's focus is determining the structure of the VAPB-PTPIP51 complex, which tethers the mitochondria and the ER at contact sites and helps to coordinate calcium ion flow from the ER to the mitochondria. I will be looking at how a mutation in VAPB, which is associated with ALS and frontotemporal dementia, affects the structure and function of the complex. I will use X-Ray crystallography and Cryo-EM.