Structural Biology
Contact Information
Faculty and their Research Interest
Structure of the armadillo repeat region of b-catenin, a component of cellular junctions and the Wnt growth factor signaling pathway.
Students in Structural Biology study a wide range of problems from a structural and mechanistic perspective. Research in the department includes the mechanism of transcription and translation, chromatin structure, mechanism of antibiotic resistance, protein-RNA interactions, catalytic RNA, molecular chaperones, cell membrane recognition, cellular adhesion, evolution and mechanism of the immune response and theoretical studies of protein structure and dynamics. A broad spectrum of biophysical techniques, including x-ray crystallography, NMR, electron microscopy and computational methods is represented in the department. The graduate program strongly emphasizes research training. Students design their course program, typically a combination of specialized courses and core advanced courses in structural biology, biochemistry, genetics and cell biology to meet their educational goals. Students participate in an annual retreat which features research presentations by all the groups in the department. In addition, students attend seminar programs sponsored by the various biosciences programs.
For more information contact:
Kathleen Guan
Department of Structural Biology
Fairchild Building, D118
Stanford, CA 94305-5126
(650) 723-7576
(650) 723-8464 (fax)
structuralbio@med.stanford.edu
http://structuralbio.stanford.edu/
Axel Brunger. Our goal is to understand the molecular mechanism of synaptic neurotransmission using x-ray crystallography, single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, and macromolecular computer simulation. We are particularly interested in the structure and function of key players in the synaptic vesicle fusion machinery, including the SNARE complex, synaptotagmin, complexin, and other factors.
http://atbweb.stanford.edu
Zev Bryant. My laboratory seeks to understand the physical mechanisms by which biological molecular motors convert chemical energy into mechanical work. We use single molecule tracking and manipulation techniques to observe and perturb substeps in the mechanochemical cycles of individual motors. Protein engineering helps us to explore relationships between molecular structures and mechanical functions. Topics of current interest include torque generation by DNA-associated ATPases and mechanical adaptations of unconventional myosins.
Adam de la Zerda. The expression of many biomolecules changes in time, space and local environments. We build optical imaging instrumentation to visualize these complex behaviors in cancer and ophthalmic disease animal models. Visualizing these changes in the context of living tissues may give rise to new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, and can further reveal new molecular mechanisms not otherwise visible in traditional biochemical studies. Our research efforts span both basic science and clinically translatable work.
K. Christopher Garcia. Structural and functional aspects of cell surface receptor recognition and activation, in receptor/ligand systems relevant to human health and disease.
Ted Jardetzky. Studying of the structures and mechanisms of macromolecular complexes important in viral pathogenesis, allergic hypersensitivities and the regulation of cellular growth and differentiation, with an interest in uncovering novel conceptual approaches to intervening in disease processes. Ongoing research projects include studies of paramyxovirus and herpesvirus entry mechanisms, IgE-receptor structure and function and TGF-beta ligand signaling pathways.
Roger Kornberg. Biochemical and crystallographic approaches to gene activation and transcription in yeast.
Michael Levitt. Computational biology with emphasis on molecular structure, which extends from detailed quantum mechanical simulations of simple solutes in water to a global analysis of the nature of the protein universe. In between, we focus on molecular modeling, structure morphing, dynamics and refinement of protein structure and folding of proteins and nucleic acids.
Vijay Pande. Our research fuses biophysics, structural biology, theoretical physical chemistry, Bayesian statistics, and computer science in order to tackle challenging problems in molecular biophysics. In particular, we have interests in protein folding, RNA folding, protein-ligand binding, and protein structure refinement as well as the behavior of large macromolecular complexes such as ribosomes and chaperonins.
Peter Parham. Is interested in the evolution of the human immune response, particularly the roles played by the class I major histocompatibility complex and the killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR). His research focuses on the diversity of class I HLA molecules and KIR and the effect of this diversity on the interactions with the receptors of cytotoxic T-cells and natural killer cells.
Joseph Puglisi. RNA structure and function, mechanism of translation, NMR spectroscopy.
William Weis. Our laboratory is interested in the molecular mechanisms that underlie the development and maintenance of cell and tissue structure. Structural, biophysical and biochemical methods are used to study cell-cell adhesion, the Wnt signaling pathway, and intracellular membrane trafficking.