SMBP Group Meeting: Feng Qin (State University of New York at Buffalo)
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America/New_York
3rd Floor Classroom (162 5th Avenue)
3rd Floor Classroom
162 5th Avenue
Description
Speaker:Feng Qin (State University of New York at Buffalo)
Topic: Too Hot to Handle: The Physical Trap for Temperature Sensors
Abstract: Temperature-sensitive ion channels defy traditional biophysical models by exhibiting extraordinarily high thermal sensitivity -- orders of magnitude beyond what protein dynamics typically allow. This raises a fundamental dilemma: achieving such sensitivity requires substantial thermodynamic energy, yet protein architecture places strict limits on energy absorption without structural compromise.
In this talk, I will describe our integrated work -- combining ultrafast temperature jumps, calorimetry, and cryo-EM -- to uncover the energetic and structural basis of temperature gating. Our findings point to a unifying mechanism: temperature activation is intrinsically irreversible and coupled to partial protein unfolding. This “suicidal” model reframes temperature sensing as a thermodynamic trap, where biology pushes the physical limits of what proteins can endure to function as thermal detectors.
