We are currently working on several research projects related to copine protein function in Dictyostelium. 

1. Create copine gene knockout mutants. Knockout mutants in Dictyostelium can be created by using homologous recombination.  We have created a cpnA- null mutant and plan to create various single and combination double and triple copine gene knockout mutants.  Once we have created the mutants, we will characterize their mutant phenotypes. 
2. Tag copine proteins with GFP to determine intracellular localization.  Analysis of cells expressing GFP-CpnA indicated that CpnA binds to intracellular membranes in a calcium-dependent manner. GFP-CpnA transiently associates with the plasma membrane and several organelles including endosomes, lysosomes, phagosomes, and contractile vacuoles. We plan to determine the intracellular localization of all of the copine proteins. We are using various types of fluorescence and confocal microscopy to image tagged proteins in live cells.
3. Identify the protein-binding partners of the copine proteins.  Identifying the protein-binding proteins of copines is crucial to understanding their functions.  We are using various biochemical and genetic techniques including affinity chromatography, yeast two-hybrid system, and immunoprecipitations to identify the protein-binding partners of copines.

I am currently taking new masters graduate students into my lab.  If you are interested in doing a research project in my lab, please contact me at damer1ck@cmich.edu.