Research

Crystalline materials in nature

• Biomineralization-formation of crystals and other aggregated phases in organisms
• Crystallization in and from cell membranes
• Cell interactions at interfaces
• Antibody-Crystal interactions

Protein interactions by NMR

• The interaction of HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein with the HIV-1 co-receptor CCR5
• The interaction of chemokines with CCR5
• The use of transferred NOE to study intermolecular interactions in large protein complexes

Structural virology & immunology - elucidating the molecular mechanisms of host / pathogen interactions

• Structural basis for virus cell entry
• Structural aspects of host immune response against pathogens
• Novel therapeutic approaches inspired by structural information

Integrated structural enzymology

• Structures, mechanisms, and regulation of enzymes that catalyze disulfide bond formation
• Novel structural techniques for studying extracellular matrix assembly
• Development of potential cancer therapeutics targeting the cell microenvironment
• Physiological functions of disulfide catalysts in the formation of complex biomaterials

Molecular systems biophysics

• Single-molecule spectroscopy
• Protein interactions and dynamics
• Bio-molecular networks

Cooperativity in protein structure, folding and function

• Allostery in chaperonins
• Mechanisms of action of chaperonins
• Development of methods to study allostery
• Correlated mutation analysis

Computational molecular biophysics - quantifying the self-assembly mechanisms of biomolecules

• Understanding the mechanism of DNA search by proteins
• Deciphering the effect of post-translational modifications on protein biophysics
• Investigation of folding of multi-domain proteins

Structural systems biology - protein-protein interactions from atoms to cells

• Proteins self-assembly and self-organization in cells
• Evolution of the cellular protein machinery
• Design and engineering of large protein assemblies

Biology - study of large protein complexes through nuclear magnetic resonance

• Molecular chaperones combating neurodegenerative diseases
• Protein folding and disaggregation
• Structure, dynamics, and function of supramolecular complexes
• Advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance techniques

Structural biology – structure-function studies of transcription factors and of enzymes from pathogenic bacteria

• The tumor-suppressor protein p53 and its interaction with DNA
• Cancer-related p53 mutants and their rescue by suppressor mutations and by small molecules
• Fatty-acid synthesis enzymes from Mycobacterium tuberculosis as potential drug targets

Structural Biology - Study of macromolecules through cryo-EM

> Structure and function of membrane proteins and their signaling pathways

> Specialized translation

> Single particle cryo-EM

Structure/Function studies of Biomacromolecules

• Proteins from the nervous system, including Acetylcholinesterase
• Bioinformatic tools, including Proteopedia, FoldIndex and Dipole Moment Server
• Proteins involved in decontamination of deadly poisons

Translation of the genetic code: protein biosynthesis

• Mechanisms of decoding and peptide bond formation
• Antibiotics action and resistance
• New generation of environmental friendly, species specific antibiotics
• Origin of life