Correlating penetration and conformation of HIV fusion peptide with composition of model mammalian cell membranes

In this proposal we aim to perform Neutron measurements on phase-segregated cholesterolcontaining supported lipid bilayers of various compositions involving charged and uncharged lipids to study the interaction with viral fusion peptides at different concentrations. This study shall throw light regarding how different peptide concentrations in aggregated state fuse with heterogeneous membranes having lipid rafts, the extent of peptide penetration, their possible conformation states and the role of charge in this fusion process.