R. James Turner, Ph.D., Chief
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH/NIDCR
BUILDING 10 ROOM 1N113
10 CENTER DRIVE
BETHESDA, MD 20892-1190
PHONE: (301) 402-1060
FAX: (301) 402-1228
Mission
The major focus of the Membrane Biology Section (MBS) is to understand the ion transport events involved in exocrine fluid secretion with particular emphasis on the formation of saliva. In the past, the MBS has made a number of observations and discoveries that clarify the nature and regulation of the ion transport processes responsible for fluid secretion by salivary acinar cells, the source of the salivary fluid. The current work of the group focuses heavily on the functional and structural properties of the salivary Na-K-Cl co-transporter, the ion transport system that is responsible for the bulk of the fluid secretion by this gland, as well as on several other membrane proteins also involved in this process.