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Visiting research graduate traineeship program for Polish masters students in the biological sciences
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago
Polish Crew 2008/2009
The Graduate Traineeship Program for Polish Masters Students was
established at the
University of Chicago in 2006. This is a joint program with the University of Virginia. The
Chicago program provides for 6‐8 Polish students to do their MSc
degree under the
mentorship of a faculty member in the Division of Biological Sciences. The selection of
mentors is done based on mutual student and mentor interests and
available funding.
Specific projects are generally selected based on discussions between mentors and
students after lab assignments have been determined.
The process is as follows:
Early March‐
Interviews
Lab selection process‐
Generally completed over the following 2‐3 week period
Arrival start date‐
Students arrive in early July
Early June
(following year)‐
Students present their research work in a symposium.
Late June‐
Students return home to defend their thesis at home their institution.
An Introduction to the program
Examples of Projects
Tail-anchored membrane protein targeting to the ER by TRC40
Malgorzata DoboszKeenan Lab
Tail-anchored (TA) proteins constitute a large class of integral membrane proteins found in eukaryotic cells. They are involved in various cellular processes including regulation of apoptosis (e.g. Bcl-2 protein family) and vesicular trafficking (e.g. synaptobrevins). TA proteins contain a functional N-terminal domain facing the cytosol and a single transmembrane domain (TMD) localized at the extreme C- terminus.
TA proteins are targeted to the ER in post-translational way because they are released from ribosome before the TMD emerges from the ribosomal tunnel. That pathway is still poorly understood. The model of TA proteins insertion involves three steps:
1) recognition of the TMD by TRC40, which is 40kDa subunit of the transmembrane domain recognition complex (TRC) and which acts as an ATPase
2) selective targeting to the ER membrane via interaction with TRC receptor
3) TMD insertion into ER membrane Figure 1. Model for post-translational targeting and insertion of TA membrane proteins by TRC.
Techniques• Molecular cloning• Recombinant protein expression (E.coli expression system)• Protein purification (affinity chromatography, size-exclusion
chromatography)• Protein crystallization and crystallography• MALDI-TOF• Fluorescence and absorbance measurements
We developed series of structural and biochemical experiments to determine molecular basis of post-translational TA membarne proteins targeting by TRC.
TRC40 has ATPase activity. ATP hydrolysis is thought to be required to dissociation of TRC40 from ER membrane and for efficient insertion of TA protein into ER
sAb
phage library
light chain
heavy
chain
selection
bind
ingto
target protein
further
analysis
target protein
•ELISA affinity
analysis•sequencing
and reformatting•purification
of sAb•surface plasmon
resonance•crystallization of target
protein
Antibody phage display as a novel approach for characterization of protein
complexes
and isoforms
Paweł
Dominik, Kossiakoff LabAntibody
phage
display
is
a
novel
approach
that
can
be
used
to
obtain
synthetic
antibody
fragments
(sAb)
to
protein
targets
that
perform
desired
function.
We
seek to use sAbs
to capture
various
proteins
and their
complexes
to
facilitate
crystallization,
to
detect
different
protein
isoforms
and
to
characterize
protein‐protein interactions.
Techniques :•phage display, genetic engineering, mutagenesis•expression and protein purification (FPLC, gel filtration,
affinity chromatography)•surface plasmon
resonance, fluorescence assays•cell culture experiments•crystallization
trials
solving the
structure
3D structure
ActinN‐half
C‐half +N‐half
inhibition
C‐halfFH1FH2
200
400
600
800
1000
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Act
in a
ssem
bly
rate
, pyr
ene
fl., a
.u.
Time, s
FH1FH2 + N‐half no inhibition
Techniques used in the lab:•
Protein engineering, bacterial expression and purification (
FPLC: ion‐exchange chromatography, gel filtration )• Real time pyrene‐actin
assembly assays• Fluorescence microscopy: live cells, actin
filaments•
Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRF) TIRF
allows visualization of filaments elongating in real time. • Fission yeast genetics• Actin
sedimentation assaysFor more information about the lab profile visit our website :)
http://kovarlab.bsd.uchicago.edu/
Salt+ formin
10% pyrenelabeled
actin
monomers
Less fluorescence
More fluorescence
1. Pyrene‐actinassembly assay.
N CpDID pDAD
N‐half C‐half
FH1FH2
Autoinhibitory
regulation of the C.elegans
cytokinesis
formin
CYK‐1 actin
assembly properties
Agnieszka
Pawlik, Kovar Lab
InroductionFormin
proteins drive actin
filament assembly
for diverse cellular
processes including motility, establishing polarity and cytokinesis.
Most eukaryotes posses multiple formin
isoforms
tailored to
assemble filaments at the right time and place. Therefore formin
proteins must be precisely regulated. Formins
contain formin
homology 1 and 2 (FH1FH2) domains, which are important for
actin
assembly and are flanked on either side by regulatory
domains. Many formins
are regulated by auto‐inhibition through
association of their N‐terminal (DID) and C‐terminal (DAD) regions
(Fig. 2).
My project has utilized assays such as ‘bulk’
spontaneous
actin
assembly assays (Fig. 1) to test whether a similar mechanism
regulates CYK‐1, the C.elegans
cytokinesis
formin. I found that CYK‐
1 is auto‐inhibited and that region
responsible for auto‐inhibition is
C‐terminal to FH2. We are now exploring the mechanism of auto‐
inhibition, including which residues/ domains are required for
auto‐inhibition and whether auto‐inhibition is relieved by RhoA,
the C.elegans
cytokinesis
GTPase.
3. Fluorescence microscopyLength of actin
filaments can
show how different proteins
affect actin
assembly. Assembled
filaments can be stained with
rhodamine‐phalloidin, observed
under microscope and measured.Actin
only Actin
+ CYK‐1.
2. CYK‐1 is autoinhibited.
Using Phage Display to Generate Synthetic Antibodies
to Human SH2 Domains
Arkadiusz Wyrzucki, Koide Lab
The Goal of my project is to:
1) generate high affinity and high specificity synthetic antibody binders to SH2 targets as tools to study SH2-
containing proteins, 2) solve crystal structures of complexes of SH2 domains and their synthetic antibody binder, 3) internalize binders into mammalian cells through receptor-mediated delivery to study their effects in vivo.
SH2 Domains are found in 110 human proteins with various functions mainly involving regulation of signaling pathways. These proteins include most of the kinases
(Lck, Lyn, JAK2), phosphatases
(Ship, PtpN11) and a number of critical adaptor proteins. (Grap2, Grb2 among several). Understanding the structure/function details of how SH2 domains regulate signaling pathways is a major interest in the cell signaling field. Synthetic antibodies generated by phage display are much more powerful than traditional monoclonal antibodies. They can target a specific region of a SH2 domain’s surface, they can trap a conformational state and they can recognize the ligand
bound and unbound form of the domain.
The techniques I use in lab are:
Phage display mutagenesisProtein engineeringSurface plasmon
resonanceCloning and bacterial expression Protein purification Protein Chip analysisCompetitive phage ELISA
Faculty of the Biological Sciences Division
Research Summary / Selected Publications(i) One of our research interests centers around studying at atomic resolution the structural and functional properties that define molecular
recognition systems that activate and regulate biological properties. In particular, we study the energetics
of hormone‐induced receptor
activation and regulation of growth hormone and its receptor using X‐ray crystallography, site‐directed mutagenesis, phage display
mutagenesis and biophysical analysis. (ii) Synthetic Antibodies‐
We use novel phage display libraries and screening procedures to produce a new class of synthetic affinity binders
(sABs) based on Fab
antibody scaffolds. These synthetic antibodies are much more versatile than traditional monoclonal antibodies and can
be tuned to bind to multi‐protein complexes and specific conformational states of their protein targets. These attributes make them the
reagents of choice to study complex processes like cell signaling and cytokinesis. (iii) Drug delivery‐
We have developed a unique drug delivery method that utilizes ligand‐induced receptor‐mediated endocytosis
pathways. We
call this method Receptor‐Mediated Delivery (RMD) and have shown that we can deliver functionally active proteins and RNA/DNA cargoes
into live cells for functional and imaging experiments. 4) Synthetic biology‐
We use a combination of peptide synthesis and phage display
(biosynthetic phage display) to produce proteins with novel properties.
Tony Kossiakoff
Chair & Ortho S.A. Sprague Professor, Department of
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
B.S. (Chemistry and Mathematics) 1968, Davis and Elkins CollegePh.D. (Physical Chemistry) 1972,University of Delaware, Newark
Horn, J.R., Sosnick, T.R., Kossiakoff, A. A. (2009) " Principal determinants leading to transition state formation of a protein‐protein
complex, orientation trumps side chain interactions" Proc. Natl.
Aca. Sci. (USA) Epub
Feb 3.
Ye, J.D., Tereshko, V., Frederiksen, J.K., Koide, A., Fellouse, F.A., Sidhu, S.S., Koide, S., Kossiakoff, A.A., Piccirilli, J.A. (2008) "Synthetic
antibodies for specific recognition and crystallization of structured RNA" Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A 105(1): 82‐7.
Tereshko, V., Uysal, S., Koide, A., Margalef, K., Koide, S., Kossiakoff, A. A. (2008) "Toward chaperone‐assisted crystallography: protein
engineering enhancement of crystal packing and X‐ray phasing capabilities of a camelid
single‐domain antibody (VHH) scaffold" Protein
Sci
17(7): 1175‐87.
Research Summary / Selected Publications(i) An important property of living organisms is their ability to move when needed. All such directed movements, including intracellular
trafficking, cell division, and muscle contraction, are driven by a set of molecular machines that are only a few nanometers in diameter. We
would like to understand how one of these motors, myosin, couples ATP hydrolysis into motility along actin
filaments, and how it has been
tuned for a wide variety of tasks in the cell. (ii) While stepping, myosin travels through a specific sequence of tightly coupled biochemical and mechanical states. Without such coordination,
structural transitions would occur at improper times and the motor would not function. Our challenge is to unravel the coordination
mechanisms in these motors. We focus on the unconventional myosins, including myosin V, VI, and X. These motors drive several forms of
cargo transport and play key roles in the organization of actin‐based structures. Unlike myosin II, which operates in large ensembles to
drive high‐speed motility in muscle, these unconventional myosins
operate in smaller numbers and thus have different mechanical and
kinetic properties.(iii) We primarily use single‐molecule techniques to study motility, including optical tweezers to measure forces and single fluorophore
imaging to
follow biochemical events. These methods allow us to probe the protein motions in a manner that is unobscured
by other motor
molecules, which may or may not be acting in concert.
Ronald S. Rock
Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular
Biology
B.S., Chemistry, University of Chicago, 1992Ph.D., Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, 1999
Nagy, S., Ricca, B.L., Norstrom, M., Courson, D.S., Brawley, C.M., Smithback, P., Rock, R.S. (2008) "A myosin motor that selects
bundled
actin
for motility." Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
105: 9616‐20.
PubMed
Rizvi, S.A.; Courson, D.S.; Keller, V.A.; Rock, R.S.; Kozmin, S.A. (2008) The dual mode of action of bistramide
A entails severing of
filamentous actin
and covalent protein modification. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
105: 4088‐92.
PubMed
Rock, R. S., Ramamurthy, B., Dunn, A. R., Beccafico, S., Rami, B. R., Morris, C., Spink, B. J., Franzini‐Armstrong, C., Spudich, J. A. and
Sweeney, H. L. (2005). "A Flexible Domain Is Essential for the Large Step Size and Processivity
of Myosin VI." Mol Cell
17: 603‐
9.
PubMed
Prof. Tobin R. Sosnick Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyDirector, Institute for Biophysical DynamicsChair, Graduate Program in Biophysical SciencesSenior Fellow Computation Institute.http://sosnick.uchicago.edu/
My research program involves synergistic studies of protein and RNA folding, function and design, with both experimental
and computational components. The research is based on the premise that rigorous and innovative studies of basic
processes have broad implications in many areas of biological research.
These areas include delineating protein and RNA folding pathways
and denatured states,
de novo structure prediction,
design of light‐triggered allosteric
proteins, and RNA folding during transcription. I am known for having developed ‐
analysis, a method for delineating folding pathways using engineered bi‐histidine
metal ion binding sites.
My lab employs a range of experimental and computational methods
including NMR, small‐angle X‐ray scattering, rapid
mixing methods, Langevin
dynamics and coarse‐grain folding simulations.
Research Interests
How proteins fold. We proposed the “70% rule”
as a general property of the transition state ensemble (TSE) for proteins that obey
the well‐known lnkf
‐Reduced Contact Order correlation. Importantly, our Rule extends
beyond the qualitative view that the TS adopts
a native‐like topology by providing a general, quantitative and predictive framework for describing the rate‐limiting step in protein
folding. We are applying and testing this generality of this rule. See Quantifying the Structural Requirements of the Folding Transition
State of Protein A and Other Systems.
Baxa, M. C. , Freed, K. F. and Sosnick, T. R. (2008), J. Mol. Biol. 381, 1362. And Kinetic barriers and the role of topology in Protein and RNA folding. (2008) Sosnick, T.R. Prot. Sci.
17, 1308‐1381.
The Protein Folding Challenge: Predicting Structure from Sequence. Our goal is to distill the challenge down to the basic principles,
code them into a computer algorithm, predict folding pathways and as an outcome, the native structure (without using without using
homology, fragments, knowledge of native state, etc.) See Mimicking the folding pathway to improve homology‐free protein structure
prediction. (2009) DeBartolo, J., Colubri, A. Jha, A., Fitzgerald, J.E., Freed, K.F. & Sosnick, T.R. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A. 106, 3734‐9.
Photoswitchable proteins for controlling biological function. Photoswitchable
proteins offer a unique ability to conduct perturbation
experiments with high spatial and temporal precision in living cells, tissues, and intact organisms.
We are designing flexible,
genetically encoded system that uses light to control biological
function in a variety of contexts. See Light‐activated DNA binding in a
designed allosteric
protein. (2008) Strickland, D., Moffat, K., Sosnick, T.R. (2008) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A
105, 10709‐10714.
B.S. Univ. of Calif, San Diego, 1983Ph.D. Harvard University, 1989Post‐doctoral, Los Alamos Nat. LabPost‐doctoral, Univ. of Pennsylvania
Research Summary / Selected Publications(i
)
The major goals of our research are to understand the relationship between sequence, structure and function in biological systems, and
also to leverage this knowledge to generate proteins with new or
optimized function. We use two fundamental and complementary
approaches: 1) directed evolution and 2) structural analysis.(ii
)
The success of directed evolution depends critically on library quality and the ability to rapidly and effectively interrogate libraries using an
appropriate assay. Thus, we combine structure‐
and homology‐based mutagenesis strategies to generate functionally rich libraries that
allow us to efficiently access sequence space. Similarly, we develop high‐
(low information content) and low‐throughput (high information
content) screening strategies to facilitate the identification of proteins with desirable properties. (iii
)
We use these tools in a variety of ways. Current projects in the
lab include: 1) optimization of fluorescent reporters for biological imaging;
2) detailed analysis of sequence‐structure‐function relationships in systematically varied populations of enzymes; 3) generation of novel
biosensors and 4) application of directed evolution to overcome limiting factors in macromolecular crystallography.
Robert J Keenan
Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular
Biology
B.S., Biology & Chemistry, Bates College, 1990 Ph.D., Biochemistry & Biophysics, UCSF, 1998
Mateja, A., Szlachcic, A., Downing, M.E., Dobosz, M., Mariappan, M., Hegde, R.S. and Keenan, R.J. (2009) The structural basis of tail‐
anchored membrane protein recognition by Get3. Nature, 461:361‐366; advance online publication, (doi:10.1038/nature08319).
Strack, R.L., Strongin, D.E., Bhattacharyya, D., Tao, W., Berman, A., Broxmeyer, H.E., Keenan, R.J. and Glick, B.S. (2008) A noncytotoxic
DsRed
variant for whole‐cell labeling. Nature Methods, 5:955‐957.
Siehl, D.L., Castle, L.A., Gorton, R. and Keenan, R.J. (2007). The molecular basis of glyphosate
resistance by an optimized microbial
acetyltransferase. J. Biol. Chem., 282:11446‐11455.
Keenan, R.J., Siehl, D.L., Gorton, R. and Castle, L.A. (2005). DNA shuffling as a tool for protein crystallization. Proc Natl
Acad
Sci
USA,
102:8887‐8892.
Research Summary / Selected Publications1. Our research aims to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the transduction of different forms of energy into protein
motion; in particular the different molecular mechanisms of ion channel gating. 2.We are equally interested in protein structure as in protein dynamics, for it is the dynamic behavior of a molecule what links
structure to
function. 3. We rely on spectroscopic methods, and in particular reporter group techniques (EPR, Fluorescence), to study channels and other
membrane proteins embedded in a fluid lipid bilayer. Static structural analyses are pursued by X‐ray crystallography. These structural
techniques are all interpreted in the context of high‐resolution functional methods (single channel, macroscopic and gating current electro‐
physiological measurements).
Eduardo Perozo
Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, IBD
Licenciado, Biology, Universidad Central de Venezuela, 1985 Ph.D., Physiology, UCLA, 1990
Uysal, S., Vásquez, V., Terechko, V., Esaki, K., Koide, S., Fellouse, FA, Sidhu, SS, Perozo, E. and Kossiakoff, A. (2009) The Crystal
Structure of Full‐Length KcsA
in its Closed Conformation. PNAS 106:6644‐9
Vásquez, V., Sotomayor, M., Cordero‐Morales, J., Schulten, K., and Perozo E. (2008) A Structural Mechanism for MscS
Gating in
Lipid Bilayers. Science, 321:1210‐4.
Chakrapani, S., Cuello, LG., Perozo, E. (2008) Structural Dynamics of the Isolated‐Voltage Sensor Domain of KvAP
in Lipid Bilayer.
Structure 16(3):398‐409
Chakrapani, S., Cordero‐Morales, JF., Perozo, E. (2007) A Quantitative description of KcsA
gating II: Single Channel Currents.
Journal of General Physiology 130: 479‐496.
Chakrapani, S., Cordero‐Morales, JF., Perozo, E. (2007) A Quantitative description of KcsA
gating I: Macroscopic Currents.
Journal of General Physiology 130: 465‐478.
Research Summary / Selected PublicationsCells have the extraordinary ability to rapidly modulate their physiology in response to changes in their environment. This plasticity is
particularly evident in microbial species, many of which adapt to grow across an extremely diverse range of conditions. Our interests center
on how chemical and physical signals are received, processed, and integrated by a bacterial cell to generate an adaptive response. To
address these questions, we are using an interdisciplinary set of tools including NMR and crystallography to explore the structural basis of
signal detection and transduction by sensor histidine
kinases, genetics and array‐based transcriptional profiling to decipher the function
and topology of microbial signaling networks, and mathematical modeling to test our experimentally‐derived network topologies.
Sean Crosson
Assistant Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics,
Committee on Microbiology
B.A, Biology, Earlham College, 1996 Ph.D., Biochemistry, University of Chicago, 2002NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University School of Medicine
Idnurm, A. and Crosson, S. (2009). The Photobiology of Microbial Pathogenesis. PLoS
Pathogens
5: e1000470.
doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000470.
Siegal‐Gaskins, D., Ash, J., and Crosson, S. (2009). Model‐based Deconvolution
of Cell Cycle Time‐Series Data Reveals Gene
Expression Details at High Resolution. PLoS
Comput. Biol.
5: e1000460; doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000460.
Boutte, C.C, Srinivasan, B.S., Flannick, J.A., Novak, A.F., Martens, A.T., Batzoglou, S., Viollier, P.H., and Crosson, S. (2008). Genetic
and Computational Identification of a Conserved Bacterial Metabolic Module. PLoS
Genetics
4: e1000310;
doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1000310.
Siegal‐Gaskins, D. and Crosson, S. (2008). Tightly‐Regulated and Heritable Division Control in Single Bacterial Cells. Biophys. J.
95:2063‐2072.
Purcell, E.B. and Crosson, S. (2008). Photoregulation
in Prokaryotes. Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 11:168‐178.
Research Summary / Selected PublicationsOur group is broadly interested in the chemistry and biochemistry of nucleic acids with particular emphasis on RNA and RNA catalysis.
1. The laboratory integrates areas of organic chemistry, physical chemistry, enzymology
and molecular biology to gain a fundamental
understanding of nucleic acid structure and mechanisms of RNA catalysis.
2. Using the principles and techniques of organic chemistry and molecular biology, we manipulate the structure of RNA molecules at
precise locations in ways that are designed to answer very specific questions about biological function. We employ these approaches
toward gaining a fundamental understanding of the role that divalent metal ions play in phosphoryl
transfer reactions that occur during
RNA splicing, a fundamental step in genetic expression.
Joseph A. Piccirilli
Associate Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics,
Chemistry
B.A., Chemistry, University of Scranton, 1982 Ph.D., Chemistry, Harvard University, 1989
Ye, J. D., Tereshko, V., Frederiksen, J., Koide, A., Fellouse, F., Sidhu, S., Koide, S., Kossiakoff, T., and Piccirilli Joseph, A. (2008)
Synthetic antibodies for specific recognition and crystallization of structured RNA. Proc Natl
Acad
Sci
U S A 105, 82‐87.
Korennykh, A. V., Plantinga, M. J., Correll, C. C., and Piccirilli, J. A. (2007) Linkage between Substrate Recognition and Catalysis
during Cleavage of Sarcin/Ricin
Loop RNA by Restrictocin. Biochemistry 46, 12744‐12756
Dai, Q., Fong, R., Saikia, M., Stephenson, D., Yu, Y. T., Pan, T., and Piccirilli, J. A. (2007) Identification of recognition residues for
ligation‐based detection and quantitation
of pseudouridine
and N6‐methyladenosine. Nucleic Acids Res 35, 6322‐6329
Ye, J. D., Li, N. S., Dai, Q., and Piccirilli, J. A. (2007) The mechanism of RNA strand scission: an experimental measure of the
Bronsted
coefficient, beta nuc. Angew
Chem
Int
Ed Engl
46, 3714‐7.
Research Summary / Selected PublicationsWe study mechanisms of DNA recombination and protein‐DNA recognition, combining the tools of biochemistry, x‐ray
crystallography and protein engineering. Project areas under study include:
Rad51
and its prokaryotic counterpart RecA
are central players in repairing dsDNA
breaks and rescuing stalled replication forks. They
bind a single strand of DNA, then play molecular matchmaker to align it with a homologous sequence in duplex DNA.
Flp
is a tyrosine‐based site‐specific DNA recombinase. Such enzymes catalyze DNA inversions, deletions, and insertions, and are useful
in genetic engineering. We determined the structure of a Flp
tetramer bound to a DNA Holliday junction, and are now exploiting the
trans assembly of Flp's
active site to investigate its catalytic mechanism using synthetic tyrosine analogs.
Sin
is another site‐specific recombinase, unrelated to Flp, that comes from Staph. Aureus
and helps stably maintain resistance
plasmids. Sin has a remarkable sense of direction: it recombines
two sites only if they lie on the same plasmid, and only if they are
properly oriented.
Phoebe Rice
Associate Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics
B.A., Biochemistry, Brandeis University, 1986Ph.D., Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, 1992Post-doctoral fellow at LMB/NIDDK/NIH 1993-1997
Kent W. Mouw, Sally J Rowland, Mark M. Gajjar, Martin R Boocock, Marshall Stark and Phoebe A. Rice. Architecture of a serine
recombinase
‐
DNA regulatory complex. Molecular Cell,
Apr 25;30(2):145‐55.(2008).
Yang CG, Yi C, Duguid
EM, Sullivan CT, Jian
X, Rice PA, He C. Crystal structures of DNA/RNA repair enzymes AlkB
and ABH2 bound
to dsDNA. Nature.
Apr 24;452(7190):961‐5. (2008)
Protein‐Nucleic Aicd
Interactions: Structural Biology. P.A. Rice and Carl C. Correll, editors. RSC Publishing, 2008
http://www.rsc.org/shop/books/2008/9780854042722.asp
Whiteson, KL and Rice, PA. Binding and Catalytic Contributions to Site Recognition by Flp
Recombinase. JBC,
Apr
25;283(17):11414‐23, 2008.
Research Summary / Selected PublicationsThe goals of our research are to elucidate factors governing molecular recognition events underlying protein function and to produce novel
function by exploiting such knowledge. Current research topics include: (i) Minimalist interaction interfaces. Protein‐protein interactions are central to biological regulation. Natural protein interaction interfaces are
large and complex. We aim to define the "minimalist" requirements for tight and specific interfaces (e.g. how large does an interface needs
to be?; how much chemical and structural diversity is required for affinity and specificity?). Our research focuses on interactions mediated
by surface loops, ubiquitously seen in antibodies and cytokine receptors. We employ iterative processes of engineering synthetic
binding
proteins by altering loops of a small protein and analyzing the structure and function of binding proteins. Our research has helped establish
the concept of "molecular scaffolds" and the field of "antibody mimics." (ii) Peptide self‐assembly. Self‐assembly of peptides into water‐insoluble, beta‐sheet‐rich fibrils is implicated in protein misfolding
diseases (e.g.
Alzheimer's) and it is also a process leading to novel nanomaterials. We aim to understand contributions of various factors governing
peptide self‐assembly and design novel nanostructures. We have developed a unique model system called "peptide self‐assembly mimic",
which captures the essence of peptide self‐assembly within a water‐soluble protein and enables us to investigate atomic structures and
energetics
of otherwise recalcitrant materials. (iii) Structural biology. We use solution NMR spectroscopy, x‐ray crystallography and the antibody mimic technology to characterize the atomic
structure and dynamics of proteins involved in signal transduction. As a member of the Structural Genomics Initiative, we are developing
powerful technologies to facilitate protein structure determination.
Shohei Koide
Associate Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
B.Sc. University of Tokyo, 1986;Ph.D. University of Tokyo, 1991;Postdoctoral, The Scripps Research Institute
Gilbreth RN, Esaki K, Koide A, Sidhu SS & Koide S. (2008). A dominant conformational role for amino acid diversity in minimalist
protein‐
protein interfaces. J Mol Biol, 381, 407‐418.
Link
Huang J, Koide A, Makabe
K & Koide S (2008) Design of protein function leaps by directed
domain interface evolution. Proc Natl
Acad
Sci
U S A, 105, 6578‐6583.
Link
Biancalana M, Makabe
K, Koide A & Koide S. (2008) Aromatic cross‐strand ladders control the structure and stability of β‐rich peptide
self‐assembly mimics. J Mol Biol, 383, 205‐213.
Link
Research Summary / Selected PublicationsCells regulate actin
filament assembly to drive a wide range of fundamental cellular
processes such as division and motility. The
focus of our research group is to determine the biochemical mechanisms that govern how fission yeast and the nematode
worm coordinate actin
assembly. We utilize interdisciplinary approaches in and out of
live cells including genetics, fluorescence
microscopy, biochemistry, biophysics and innovative single actin
filament imaging assays.
David Kovar
Assistant Professor, Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology,
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Committee on
Developmental Biology, Committee on Genetics
B.A.-Ohio Wesleyan University 1995; Ph.D.-Purdue University 2001; Postdoctoral fellow-Yale University 2001-2005
Neidt, E.M., Scott, B.J. and D.R. Kovar. 2009. Formin
differentially utilizes profilin
isoforms
to rapidly assemble actin
filaments. J. Biol.
Chem. 284, 673‐84.
Neidt, E.M., Skau, C.T. and D.R. Kovar. 2008. The cytokinesis
formins
from the nematode worm and fission yeast differentially mediated
actin
filament assembly. J. Biol. Chem. 283, 23872‐83.
Kovar, D.R., Harris, E.S., Mahaffy, R., Higgs, H.N. and T.D. Pollard. 2006. Control of the assembly of ATP‐
and ADP‐actin
by formins
and
profilin. Cell. 124, 423‐435.
Kovar, D.R. Molecular details of formin‐mediated actin
assembly. 2006. Curr. Opin. Cell Biol. 18, 11‐17.
Kovar, D.R., Wu, J.‐Q., and T.D. Pollard. 2005. Profilin‐mediated competition between capping protein and formin
Cdc12p during
cytokinesis
in fission yeast. Mol. Biol. Cell. 16, 2313‐2324.
Kovar, D.R. and T.D. Pollard. Insertional
assembly of actin
in association with formins
produces piconewton
forces. 2004. Proc. Natl.
Acad. Sci. USA. 41, 14725‐14730.
Kovar, D.R., Kuhn, J.R., Tichy, A.L., and T.D. Pollard. 2003. The fission yeast cytokinesis
formin
Cdc12p is a barbed end actin
filament
capping protein gated by profilin. J. Cell Biol. 161, 875‐887.
Research Summary / Selected Publications(i) Interaction between microtubules and target sites (e.g. kinetochores) is critical for cellular processes such as mitosis, development, and stem
cell maintenance. To function in these diverse roles, the dynamic behavior of microtubules must be properly regulated. For example,
disruption of microtubule function/organization has been linked to neurodegenerative disease. Alternately, inhibiting microtubule
dynamics is among the most effective strategies for cancer therapeutics. Thus, understanding these processes represents a major challenge
for cell biology with potential to have significant impact on issues of human health.
(ii) Microtubules are regulated by a large and diverse group of proteins. However, due to the transient and dynamic nature of the interactions,
the mechanisms involved have been elusive. My lab uses the model
organism S. cerevisiae
to address fundamental questions about the
mechanisms that regulate microtubule function and microtubule interactions within the cell. We utilize various approaches; high‐resolution
and quantitative microscopy, cell biological approaches in living cells, molecular biology, protein biochemistry, and in‐vitro
reconstitution
assays.(iii) Kinesin
motor proteins generally power movement along microtubules. We recently discovered that the important, but poorly understood
Kinesin‐8 family represents a ‘hybrid’
motor that combines walking and depolymerase
activity in the same molecule. Furthermore, we
demonstrated that Kinesin‐8 operates at the interface between dynamic microtubules and their interaction sites.(iv) Currently, we are working to elucidate the molecular mechanisms and regulation of Kinesin‐8 in the context of microtubule interactions.
Kinesin‐8s are highly conserved and function in critical processes such as spindle positioning, chromosome segregation, and spindle
morphogenesis. Thus, Kinesin‐8 is an ideal ‘molecular handle’
to leverage against understanding the mechanisms that govern dynamic
microtubule interactions.
Mohan Gupta
Assistant Professor, Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology,
B.S., Biochemistry, University of Kansas, 1992
Ph.D., Biochemistry (Honors), University of Kansas, 2001
Austin, K. M., Gupta, M. L., Jr., Coats, S., Tulpule, A., Mostoslavsky, G., Balazs, A. B., Mulligan, R. C., Daley, G., Pellman, D., and
Shimamura, A. (2008). Mitotic spindle destabilization and genomic instability in Shwachman‐Diamond syndrome. J Clin
Invest.,
118:1511‐8.
(PubMed)
Gupta, M. L., Jr., Carvalho, P., Roof. D. M., and Pellman, D. (2006). Plus end‐specific depolymerase
activity of Kip3, a kinesin‐8 protein,
explains its role in positioning the yeast mitotic spindle. Nat Cell Biol. 8:913‐23.
(PubMed)
Carvalho, P., Gupta, M. L., Jr., Hoyt, M. A., and Pellman, D. (2004). Cell cycle control of kinesin‐mediated transport of Bik1 (CLIP‐170)
regulates microtubule stability and dynein
activation. Dev Cell, 6:815‐29.
(PubMed)
TechniquesDrosophila genetics
molecular cloning
antibody staining
confocal microscopy
live-cell imaging
in situ hybridization
Sally Horne-BadovinacAssistant Professor, Molecular Genetics and Cell BiologyCommittee on Developmental BiologyCommittee on Genetics, Genomics and Systems Biology
http://www.shblab.org
Research SummaryThe proper function of organs like the heart, kidneys, liver or lungs depends on these organs acquiring their unique shapes during embryonic development. If the dynamic tissue movements that create these complex three dimensional structures go awry, birth defects and metabolic diseases result. My lab is using the superb genetic and cell biological tools of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms that determine the shape of a simple fly organ known as an egg chamber. Fruit flies provide tremendous experimental advantages for studying organ morphogenesis, because they allow us to quickly identify the underlying genetic networks and then test our hypotheses about gene function in an animal where we have an unrivaled ability to temporally and spatially manipulate gene expression. Given the high degree of conservation in developmental signaling mechanisms throughout evolution, the discoveries we make in flies are likely to be directly relevant to human organ formation, as well as to the abnormalities and/or diseases that occur when these developmental processes are perturbed.
The specific question my lab is addressing is, how does the initially spherical egg chamber take on an elliptical shape as it grows? Each egg chamber consists of an internal germ cell cluster, surrounded by a somatic epithelium. The cellular processes that
drive egg chamber elongation are poorly understood, but we know that a precise planar arrangement of actin filaments and ECM fibrils in and around the epithelium is required. Planar polarity is a mechanism used many times during development to effect changes in tissue shape. Interestingly, the egg chamber uses a different molecular framework to establish this type of polarity than the classic planar polarity systems. We expect, therefore, that the study of egg chamber elongation will reveal novel molecular and cellular mechanisms controlling planar morphogenesis and organ shape. Through a genetic screen, we have identified a large collection of mutations that disrupt egg chamber elongation, which now provide an unprecedented opportunity to gain molecular insight into this fascinating morphogenetic event.
The prospective master’s student will employ a variety of techniques to phenotypically
characterize one of the mutants and determine the disrupted protein’s normal function in egg chamber elongation.
C h i c a g oA d v e n t u r e s
D O W N
T O W N
W I N T E R T I M E
PIZZA PARTY
F U N T I M E
L ABWORK
CHICAGOFIELD MUSEUM
H A L L O W E E N
GALENA
BMB
RETREAT