Catching a scramblase in the act could pave the way to improved blood disorder and cancer treatments

Weill Cornell Medicine investigators have revealed the detailed workings of a cell membrane protein that has essential roles in all animals. The discovery could lead to new therapeutic strategies for blood coagulation disorders, cancers and other conditions in which the protein, called a TMEM16 scramblase, works abnormally. Scramblases operate within cell membranes, where they alter or "scramble" the normal layered arrangement of lipid molecules—an essential step in many biological processes. The scramblase TMEM16F also works as an ion channel, allowing small, charged molecules such as potassium or chloride ions through the membrane.