X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHY AND SAXS STUDIES OF PROTEINS RELATED TO PATHOGENESIS OF TRANSMISSIBLE AND NON-TRANSMISSIBLE DISEASES, CELL DIVISION, S

The outstanding research questions of our BAG (encompassing 9 PIs) focus on proteins and their complexes involved in a variety of processes, ranging from cell homeostasis (from gene regulation to folding quality control, from energy metabolism to signal transduction) to communication and surface recognition (including trans-interactions between cell adhesion molecules, components of the extracellular matrix weaving, as well as antigen-antibody interactions for vaccine development and optimization). Key to several projects is the characterization of the mechanisms associated to enzyme function in various organisms, including bacteria, viruses, plants, animals and humans for downstream drug discovery campaigns. Emphasis is also given to research focusing on engineering protein and enzymes for future industrial applications, as well as to understand the impact of pathogenic mutations on protein structures, providing a genotype-to-molecular phenotype rationale to disease development.