Phil Selenko: NMR as a Discovery Tool in Cell Biology

22. 2. 2018, University Campus Bohunice

About the lecture

We use NMR spectroscopy to directly study proteins in live cells. Having established the experimental reference frame for investigating the human amyloid protein alpha-synuclein in healthy neuronal and non-neuronal cells, I present new data on the fate and basic biological function(s) of this protein in different mammalian cell types.

Our results reveal surprising new insights into the role of alpha-synuclein in binding to unique physiological membranes.

Dr. Phil Selenko

Leibniz Institute of Molecular Pharmacology, Berlin

He works at the interface of cell biology and biophysics to study the structural and functional in vivo properties of proteins inside cells.
His primary research tool is liquid-state NMR spectroscopy, which he employs for high-resolution in-cell NMR measurements.
The main focus of the group is to learn about the structural characteristics of intrinsically unfolded proteins (IDPs) in their native cellular environments and about post-translational protein modifications and their influence on protein structure and function.
He complements in-cell NMR methods with techniques in cell biology, biochemistry and biophysics.
Laboratory webpage: http://www.incellnmr.net/