Curriculum Vitae
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Towards Complete Descriptions of the Free Energy Landscapes of Proteins
Sequence-Based Predictions of Protein Solubility Michele Vendruscolo Department of Chemistry University of Cambridge Protein folding The fundamental code for protein folding is provided by the amino acid sequence. Amino acid sequences encode the whole free energy landscape of proteins Not only the native structure but also all the other states and the corresponding pathways of interconversion are encoded in the amino acid sequence of a protein. Does the amino acid sequence encode also for aggregation? Physico-chemical principles of protein aggregation Hydrophobicity, charge and secondary structure propensity are correlated with the changes in the aggregation rates upon mutation. Chiti et al. Nature 2003 Sequence-based prediction of aggregation rates The combination of sequence-dependent factors and environmental factors enables the prediction of aggregation rates over a broad range of timescales (from seconds to weeks) 0 ln(k) = åakIk + åak Ek -1 -2 ) k ( ln(k): logarithm of the aggregation rate k g o l -3 d e hydr t I : hydrophobicity a l -4 pat u c I : hydrophobic patterns l a C I : -helical propensity -5 I : -sheet propensity ch I : charge contribution -6 EpH: pH of the solution -7 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 Eionic: ionic strength Experimental log(k ) Econc: polypeptide concentration DuBay et al. J. Mol. Biol. 2004 Prediction of aggregation-prone regions of -synuclein The aggregation propensity is a function of the physico-chemical properties of the amino acid sequence (hydrophobicity, charge, etc). We have developed the Zyggregator method to predict aggregation rates and aggregation-prone regions (www-vendruscolo.ch.cam.ac.uk) Tartaglia et al. -
Mothers in Science
The aim of this book is to illustrate, graphically, that it is perfectly possible to combine a successful and fulfilling career in research science with motherhood, and that there are no rules about how to do this. On each page you will find a timeline showing on one side, the career path of a research group leader in academic science, and on the other side, important events in her family life. Each contributor has also provided a brief text about their research and about how they have combined their career and family commitments. This project was funded by a Rosalind Franklin Award from the Royal Society 1 Foreword It is well known that women are under-represented in careers in These rules are part of a much wider mythology among scientists of science. In academia, considerable attention has been focused on the both genders at the PhD and post-doctoral stages in their careers. paucity of women at lecturer level, and the even more lamentable The myths bubble up from the combination of two aspects of the state of affairs at more senior levels. The academic career path has academic science environment. First, a quick look at the numbers a long apprenticeship. Typically there is an undergraduate degree, immediately shows that there are far fewer lectureship positions followed by a PhD, then some post-doctoral research contracts and than qualified candidates to fill them. Second, the mentors of early research fellowships, and then finally a more stable lectureship or career researchers are academic scientists who have successfully permanent research leader position, with promotion on up the made the transition to lectureships and beyond. -
2017 Magdalen College Record
Magdalen College Record Magdalen College Record 2017 2017 Conference Facilities at Magdalen¢ We are delighted that many members come back to Magdalen for their wedding (exclusive to members), celebration dinner or to hold a conference. We play host to associations and organizations as well as commercial conferences, whilst also accommodating summer schools. The Grove Auditorium seats 160 and has full (HD) projection fa- cilities, and events are supported by our audio-visual technician. We also cater for a similar number in Hall for meals and special banquets. The New Room is available throughout the year for private dining for The cover photograph a minimum of 20, and maximum of 44. was taken by Marcin Sliwa Catherine Hughes or Penny Johnson would be pleased to discuss your requirements, available dates and charges. Please contact the Conference and Accommodation Office at [email protected] Further information is also available at www.magd.ox.ac.uk/conferences For general enquiries on Alumni Events, please contact the Devel- opment Office at [email protected] Magdalen College Record 2017 he Magdalen College Record is published annually, and is circu- Tlated to all members of the College, past and present. If your contact details have changed, please let us know either by writ- ing to the Development Office, Magdalen College, Oxford, OX1 4AU, or by emailing [email protected] General correspondence concerning the Record should be sent to the Editor, Magdalen College Record, Magdalen College, Ox- ford, OX1 4AU, or, preferably, by email to [email protected]. -
Towards Complete Descriptions of the Free-Energy Landscapes of Proteins by Michele Vendruscolo and Christopher M
FirstCite® Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A (2005) e-publishing doi:10.1098/rsta.2004.1501 Towards complete descriptions of the free-energy landscapes of proteins By Michele Vendruscolo and Christopher M. Dobson Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK ([email protected]) In recent years increasingly detailed information about the structures and dynamics of protein molecules has been obtained by innovative applications of experimental techniques, in particular nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and protein engi- neering, and theoretical methods, notably molecular dynamics simulations. In this article we discuss how such approaches can be combined by incorporating a wide range of different types of experimental data as restraints in computer simulations to provide unprecedented detail about the ensembles of structures that describe pro- teins in a wide variety of states from the native structure to highly unfolded species. Knowledge of these ensembles is beginning to enable the complete free-energy land- scapes of individual proteins to be defined at atomic resolution. This strategy has provided new insights into the mechanism by which proteins are able to fold into their native states, or by which they fail to do so and give rise to harmful aggregates that are associated with a wide range of debilitating human diseases. Keywords: protein folding; energy landscape; protein misfolding; protein aggregation; amyloid diseases; computer simulations 1. Introduction Characterizing the nature of partially folded states of proteins is crucial for under- standing the determinants of many aspects of their behaviour, including the stability of the native state, the kinetics of folding and the mechanisms of misfolding (Ven- druscolo et al. -
Paul Robustelli, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Chemistry [email protected] Dartmouth College Profes
Paul Robustelli, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Chemistry [email protected] Dartmouth College Professional Experience § Dartmouth College (Jan 2020–Present) § Assistant Professor of Chemistry § Member, Neukom Faculty Cluster of Computational Science § Member, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology § D.E. Shaw Research (2013-2019) Scientist § Developing Improved Physical Models for the Accurate Simulation of both Folded and Disordered Protein States § Elucidating Dynamic Binding Modes of Small Molecules with Intrinsically Disordered Proteins and Rationally Designing Tighter Binders § Columbia University Medical Center (2011-2013) NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow § Mentor: Arthur G. Palmer III § Studying the Role of Conformational Dynamics in Protein Function with NMR Spectroscopy and Molecular Simulations § University of Cambridge, Department of Chemistry (2006-2011) Graduate Research Assistant § Mentor: Michele Vendruscolo § Development and Application of Novel Computational Methods for Protein Structure Determination from NMR Chemical Shifts § Pomona College, Department of Chemistry (2004-2006) Undergraduate Research Assistant § Mentor: Wayne E. Steinmetz § Determination of the Structure and Conformational Dynamics of Tricothecene Mycotoxins with NMR Spectroscopy and Molecular Modeling Education § University of Cambridge - Ph.D. in Chemistry (2010) § Dissertation Title: Protein Structure Determination from NMR Chemical Shifts § Supervisor: Michele Vendruscolo § Pomona College - B.A. in Chemistry with Minor in Mathematics -
A Statistical Mechanical Method to Optimize Energy Functions for Protein Folding
A statistical mechanical method to optimize energy functions for protein folding Ugo Bastolla*†, Michele Vendruscolo‡, and Ernst-Walter Knapp*† *Freie Universita¨t Berlin, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Takustrasse 6, D-14195 Berlin, Germany; and ‡Oxford Centre for Molecular Sciences, New Chemistry Laboratory, Oxford OX1 3QT, United Kingdom Communicated by Vitalii Goldanskii, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, December 22, 1999 (received for review May 12, 1999) We present a method for deriving energy functions for protein A second class of methods (19–23) aims at providing the folding by maximizing the thermodynamic average of the overlap largest possible thermodynamic stability to the target proteins. with the native state. The method has been tested by using the These methods optimize quantities related to the Z score (24), pairwise contact approximation of the energy function and gen- measuring the difference between the energy of the native state erating alternative structures by threading sequences over a da- and the average energy of the alternative states in units of the tabase of 1,169 structures. With the derived energy function, most standard deviation of the energy. Goldstein et al. (19, 20), native structures: (i) have minimal energy and (ii) are thermody- inspired by a spin-glass analysis, derived efficient parameters for namically rather stable, and (iii) the corresponding energy land- fold recognition. More recently, the method was extended to scapes are smooth. Precisely, 92% of the 1,013 x-ray structures are protein structure prediction via simulated annealing (21). Hao stabilized. Most failures can be attributed to the neglect of inter- and Scheraga applied a similar method to the more difficult actions between chains forming polychain proteins and of inter- problem of deriving an energy function for folding simulations actions with cofactors. -
Assistant Professor in Experimental Biological Physics
THE BIOLOGICAL PHYSICIST The Newsletter of the Division of Biological Physics of the American Physical Society Vol 7 N o 5 Dec 2007 DIVISION OF BIOLOGICAL PHYSICS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair In this Issue Dean Astumian [email protected] Immediate Past Chair NEWS FEATURE Marilyn Gunner [email protected] APS Statement on Climate Change.…………..…...…..….....2 Chair-Elect PRL HIGHLIGHTS………………………………………..…..….....4 James Glazier [email protected] PRE HIGHLIGHTS……………………..……………...…..…..……9 Vice-Chair SPECIAL DBP ANNOUNCEMENT: Stephen Quake [email protected] 2008 Delbrück Prize...………………………………..….........13 Secretary/Treasurer SPECIAL DBP ANNOUNCEMENT: Shirley Chan DBP Welcomes New APS Fellows…….……………...........14 [email protected] APS Councilor SPECIAL DBP ANNOUNCEMENT: Robert Eisenberg Student Travel Grants for 2008 APS March Meeting........15 [email protected] SPECIAL DBP ANNOUNCEMENT: Members-at-Large: Workshop on Opportunities in Biological Physics………16 Stephen J. Hagen [email protected] JOB ADS…………………………………………………………20 Chao Tang [email protected] HFSP CALL FOR LETTERS OF INTENT………...……………...........25 Réka Albert [email protected] Brian Salzberg [email protected] John Milton [email protected] This issue of THE BIOLOGICAL PHYSICIST Jin Wang brings you a special news feature on the recent APS [email protected] statement on climate change. We bring you the ------------------------------------------ announcement of the 2008 Max Delbrück Prize in Biological Physics, and welcome new APS fellows who have made significant contributions to biological Newsletter Editor physics, as well as job ads and a call for letters of Sonya Bahar [email protected] intent from the Human Frontier Science Program. Website Manager Enjoy! Andrea Markelz – SB [email protected] 1 NEWS FEATURE APS STATEMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE S. -
Protein Solubility and Protein Homeostasis: a Generic View of Protein Misfolding Disorders
Downloaded from http://cshperspectives.cshlp.org/ on September 30, 2021 - Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press Protein Solubility and Protein Homeostasis: A Generic View of Protein Misfolding Disorders Michele Vendruscolo, Tuomas P.J. Knowles, and Christopher M. Dobson Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom Correspondence: [email protected] According to the “generic view” of protein aggregation, the ability to self-assemble into stable and highly organized structures such as amyloid fibrils is not an unusual feature exhibited by a small group of peptides and proteins with special sequence or structural properties, but rather a property shared by most proteins. At the same time, through a wide variety of techniques, many of which were originally devised for applications in other disciplines, it has also been established that the maintenance of proteins in a soluble state is a fundamental aspect of protein homeostasis. Taken together, these advances offer a unified framework for understanding the molecular basis of protein aggregation and for the rational development of therapeutic strategies based on the biological and chemical regulation of protein solubility. irtually every complex biochemical process structures that results from protein folding, and Vtaking place in living cells depends on the which serve to bring key functional groups into ability of the molecules involved to self- close proximity, has enabled living systems to assemble into functional structures (Dobson develop an astonishing diversity and selectivity 2003; Robinson et al. 2007; Russel et al. 2009), in their underlying chemical processes by using and a sophisticated quality control system is a common set of just 20 basic molecular com- responsible for regulating the reactions leading ponents, the amino acids (Dobson 2003). -
Ai Fini Di Pubblicazione
Daniele Granata Ai fini di pubblicazione B [email protected] Personal information Date of birth 18 April 1984 Place of birth Roma Nationality Italian Institution Temple University, Philadelphia, USA Phone number +1-215-410-0348 (mobile), +1-215-204-4221 (office) Email [email protected] , [email protected] Scientific and research interest Computational Biophysics. Protein physics. Folding and structure prediction from experimental data. Molecular Dynamics simulation and enhanced sampling techniques. Knowledge-based potentials for native state discrimination and protein-protein interactions. Intrinsically disordered proteins. Ion channels. Sta- tistical mechanics. Bioinformatics and methods development. Education 2014–Present Postdoctoral Researcher, Temple University, Philadelphia, USA. Department Institute for Computational Molecular Science, M.L. Klein’s group Topic Ion channels and application of statistical mechanics to bioinformatics and data analysis Supervisor Prof. M.L. Klein, Dr. V. Carnevale 2009–2013 Ph.D. Degree cum laude in Physics and Chemistry of Biological Systems, SISSA - International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy. Thesis Characterizing structure and free energy landscape of proteins by NMR-guided metadynamics Supervisor Prof. A. Laio, Prof. M. Vendruscolo Description A new enhanced sampling technique in Molecular Dynamics to study efficientely the structure and folding of globular and intrinsicaly disordered proteins exploiting experimental NMR data 2006–2009 Master’s Degree (Laurea Specialistica) cum laude in Physics, Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, Roma, Italy. Thesis Optimal states of human red blood cells metabolism. Supervisors Prof. A. Giansanti, Dr. A. De Martino Description Study of the fluxes, stability and responses to enzymopathies for red blood cell metabolic network, based on Von Neumann’s growth model 2003–2006 Bachelor’s Degree (Laurea Triennale) cum laude in Physics, Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, Roma, Italy. -
The Effect of Core Destabilization on the Mechanical Resistance of I27
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Elsevier - Publisher Connector 458 Biophysical Journal Volume 83 July 2002 458–472 The Effect of Core Destabilization on the Mechanical Resistance of I27 David J. Brockwell,* Godfrey S. Beddard,† John Clarkson,‡ Rebecca C. Zinober,‡ Anthony W. Blake,* John Trinick,§ Peter D. Olmsted,‡ D. Alastair Smith,‡ and Sheena E. Radford* *School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ‡Department of Physics and Astronomy, †School of Chemistry, and §School of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Leeds, United Kingdom ABSTRACT It is still unclear whether mechanical unfolding probes the same pathways as chemical denaturation. To address this point, we have constructed a concatamer of five mutant I27 domains (denoted (I27)5*) and used it for mechanical unfolding studies. This protein consists of four copies of the mutant C47S, C63S I27 and a single copy of C63S I27. These ⌬⌬ ϭ Ϫ1 mutations severely destabilize I27 ( GUN 8.7 and 17.9 kJ mol for C63S I27 and C47S, C63S I27, respectively). Both mutations maintain the hydrogen bond network between the AЈ and G strands postulated to be the major region of mechanical resistance for I27. Measuring the speed dependence of the force required to unfold (I27)5* in triplicate using the atomic force microscope allowed a reliable assessment of the intrinsic unfolding rate constant of the protein to be obtained (2.0 ϫ 10Ϫ3 sϪ1). The rate constant of unfolding measured by chemical denaturation is over fivefold faster (1.1 ϫ 10Ϫ2 sϪ1), suggesting that these techniques probe different unfolding pathways. -
Protein Folding and Dynamics at NCBS, Bengaluru
The Third International Symposium on Protein Folding and Dynamics at NCBS, Bengaluru ORGANIZERS CONFIRMED SPEAKERS Jayant B. Udgaonkar Douglas Barrick Johns Hopkins University, USA NCBS, Bengaluru Paula Booth King’s College London, UK Patricia Clark Notre Dame University, USA C. Robert Matthews Jane Clarke University of Cambridge, UK University of Massachusetts, USA Lila Gierasch University of Massachusetts, USA Shachi Gosavi NCBS, Bengaluru Yuji Goto Osaka University, Japan Gilad Haran Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Michael Harms University of Oregon, USA Hagen Hofmann Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Gerhard Hummer Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Germany th th Thomas Kiefhaber University of Halle, Germany 8 -11 Jooyoung Lee KIAS, South Korea R. Mahalakshmi IISER, Bhopal Samrat Mukhopadhyay IISER, Mohali November, 2016 Sudipta Maiti TIFR, Mumbai Athi Naganathan IIT, Madras NCBS, Bengaluru Rohit Pappu Washington University, USA Sheena Radford University of Leeds, UK Govardhan Reddy IISc , Bengaluru Catherine Royer Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA Registration deadline Tobin Sosnick University of Chicago, USA Hideki Taguchi Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan July 1, 2016 Tahei Tahara RIKEN, Japan Satoshi Takahashi Tohoku University, Japan Michael Woodside University of Alberta, Canada Tae-Young Yoon KAIST, South Korea The symposium will consist of talks by students and postdoctoral fellows, discussions led by faculty members but driven by students, poster sessions, as well as talks by leaders in the of Protein Folding and Dynamics . For more information and to apply visit National Centre for Biological Sciences https://events.ncbs.res.in/event/third-international- Tata Institute of Fundamental Research symposium-protein-folding-and-dynamics GKVK, Bellary Road, Bengaluru -560065 THIRD INTERNATIONAL PROTEIN FOLDING Sponsors SYMPOSIUM THIRD INTERNATIONAL PROTEIN FOLDING Sponsors SYMPOSIUM Daily THIRD INTERNATIONAL PROTEIN Schedule FOLDING SYMPOSIUM Tuesday, November 8, 2016 08:00 – 08:45 Registration 08:45 – 09:00 Welcome by Jayant B. -
2013 Fellowship Election Results
6/14/13 Academy of Medical Sciences - May 2013 - Newsletter 2013 Fellowship election results 44 of the UK’s leading medical researchers have been recognised for excellence in medical science with their election to the Academy Fellowship. These distinguished scientists bring the total number of Academy Fellows to 1095. We offer the new Fellows our warmest congratulations on their election and welcome them to the Academy. The Fellows will be formally admitted during a ceremony on Wednesday 26 June. All Fellows are warmly invited to attend the day’s events. As well as the election of new Fellows, the day includes presentations from four new Fellows and a keynote lecture from Professor Peter Ratcliffe FRS FMedSci. This year Admission Day will be held at The Royal Society and the day will conclude with the annual Fellows summer soirée. Fellows elected in 2013 Dr Facundo Batista, Lead Researcher, Lymphocyte Interaction Laboratory, London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK Professor David Beech,Professor of Cardiovascular Science, University of Leeds Professor Gurdyal Besra, Bardrick Professor of Microbial Physiology and Chemistry, University of Birmingham Professor Barbara Casadei, British Heart Foundation Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Hon. Consultant Cardiologist, University of Oxford Professor Jane Clarke, Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow in Basic Biomedical Science and Professor of Molecular Biophysics, University of Cambridge For further information contact Professor Garth Cooper, Professor in Discovery and Experimental