Accardi Lab

Work in my lab is aimed at uncovering the molecular and structural underpinnings regulating the movement of charged ions across cellular membranes. This process results in the electrical currents underlying scores of fundamental physiological processes such as the neuronal action potential, muscle contraction, insulin secretion and signal transduction. Two classes of membrane proteins mediate transmembrane ion movement through thermodynamically opposing mechanisms: the transporter use chemical energy to create ionic gradients while the ion channels dissipate the gradients by allowing ion diffusion. Mutations in both kinds of proteins lead to the creation of structures whose functional consequences underlie a variety of genetically inherited disorders.