Michael J. Landsberg 2014 International Biophysics Congress

Michael J. Landsberg

Research in the Landsberg lab is primarily motivated by a fundamental need to improve our understanding of the molecular structures that underpin protein-protein interactions and the formation of molecular assemblies. The arrival of the 'genomic era' at the start of the 21st century brought with it unprecedented capabilities to identify the genes and proteins that are linked to human diseases. But in the post-genomic era, it has become increasingly clear that a list of genes involved in disease is not enough. Genes and the proteins they encode rarely act in isolation, but rather form networks of interactions with proteins and other molecules. Obtaining a full appreciation of how proteins come together and interact - resulting in specific functional consequences - is critical. Specifically, our lab seeks to understand the roles played by large, multi-protein (or multi-molecular) structures that are assembled either temporarily or more permanently from many smaller subunits to cooperatively achieve a specific function (or functions). We have a particular interest in understanding fundamental mechanisms that enable infection by viruses and pathogenic bacteria, something we seek to achieve by obtaining a clearer picture of the molecular structures that are involved in these mechanisms through the use of cutting-edge tools for molecular imaging and structural biology, including cryo-EM.