We are a team of structural biologists, biochemists and molecular biologists investigating how cells read genetic information and use it to produce proteins. We focus primarily on ribosomes – complex molecular machines responsible for protein synthesis – and their interactions with other cellular components. Using cryo-electron microscopy and tomography, we can visualise these complexes at high resolution and observe how their structure and function change during different cellular processes.
Protein production is essential for all living cells, but it also represents one of their vulnerabilities. A detailed understanding of how bacteria regulate this process can reveal new targets for antibiotic development and help tackle antibiotic resistance. In human cells, we investigate how protein production and its regulation change during viral infection. These findings can contribute to our understanding of processes associated with infectious and neurodegenerative diseases.
We have uncovered several mechanisms that help bacteria regulate protein production and respond to changes in their environment. For example, we have described proteins that influence ribosome function during cellular stress and shown that disrupting some of these mechanisms can significantly slow bacterial growth. Our findings help explain how bacteria adapt protein production to changing conditions and identify parts of this system that could represent new targets for antibacterial therapies.
We are interested in how cells produce proteins. At the centre of our research are ribosomes – molecular ‘factories’ that produce proteins according to genetic information. We investigate how bacteria can temporarily suppress protein production under unfavourable conditions and restart it when conditions improve. We study similar questions in archaea – microorganisms that can often survive in extreme environments, such as very high temperatures.
Another part of our research focuses on what happens inside a cell during viral infection. We investigate how viruses exploit cellular mechanisms to produce their own proteins and alter the activity of the host cell to their advantage. Using modern structural biology methods, we can observe these processes in almost atomic detail. Our aim is to better understand how cells function and interact with viruses, and to contribute to the search for new ways to combat bacterial and viral infections.
