Berlin-Karlsruhe - Macromolecular Crystallography BAG - Structural Biology of light responsive, signal transducing and metalloproteins

We study structure-function relationships in several groups of proteins, of which many are involved in signal transduction or energy conversion. In our work on biocatalytic splitting of molecular hydrogen into protons and electrons, we analyse in particular the membrane bound [NiFe]hydrogenase, a protein of the remarkable small subgroup of hydrogenases which is active under aerobic conditions. We study the signaling mechanisms of phytochromes by focusing on the structures of photocycle intermediates and analysing domain movements. We analyse the structures of various G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs; e.g. melanocortin-4 receptor, Ghrelin receptor), either alone or in complex with their cognate G-proteins or selected effector proteins (arrestins), to understand their signaling mechanisms. Other areas of our research include various microbial rhodopsins, cytomegalovirus proteins and their complexes, and DNA photolyases, in particular bacterial (6-4) photolyases.

本研究聚焦多类蛋白质的结构-功能关联，其中多数蛋白质参与信号转导或能量转换过程。在针对分子氢生物催化裂解为质子与电子的研究工作中，我们重点分析了膜结合[NiFe]氢化酶（membrane bound [NiFe]hydrogenase）——这是一类在有氧条件下具有活性的独特氢化酶小型亚类蛋白质。我们通过解析光循环中间体的结构并分析结构域运动，探究光敏色素（phytochromes）的信号转导机制。为阐明其信号转导机制，我们解析了多种G蛋白偶联受体（G-protein coupled receptors, GPCRs，如黑皮质素-4受体、饥饿素受体）的单独结构，以及其与同源G蛋白或选定效应蛋白（抑制蛋白）结合的复合物结构。本研究的其他方向涵盖多种微生物视紫红质、巨细胞病毒蛋白质及其复合物，以及DNA光解酶（DNA photolyases），尤其是细菌(6-4)光解酶（bacterial (6-4) photolyases）。