Projects

Blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) is crucial in physiology, but also contributes to pathologies (eg cancer, ocular disease). Various vascular (growth) factors controlling angiogenesis have been identified, a prominent example being the key endothelial cell (EC) growth factor VEGF. However, the host lab recently identified an entirely novel regulation of angiogenesis, relying on metabolic rewiring of the ECs to ensure generation of energy ...

Leukocyte migration is crucial during inflammation. It is regulated by a network of molecules including adhesion molecules, leukocyte attractants such as chemokines and their receptors. Although most leukocyte attractants have been identified, posttranslational modifications affecting their activity are still being discovered. These modifications may increase or decrease the activity of attractants and may even result in the generation of ...

Proteins carry out the majority of functions in a living cell. Yet proteins are often subject to naturally occurring modifications of their basic structure, which happen after the protein has been synthetized in the cell. These modifications are termed post-translational modifications (PTMs) and can have substantial effects on protein function and activity. Therefore, these PTMs are highly relevant to our understanding of the cell in health ...

After translation, the function of the synthesized protein is mainly configured by the tight cooperation between post-translational modifications (PTMs) and protein-protein interactions. PTMs contribute to the proteome diversity, are involved in regulation of numerous metabolic processes, and have an essential role in acting as molecular switches: by changing the chemical properties of a protein, they can alter its activity, localization and ...

Each protein has a unique sequence and hence a unique fold, movement and function. Many protein sequences are known but only for few experimental data on their fold, movement and modifications is available. FoldMod addresses this gap from a computational angle by looking at: where proteins start to fold, understanding how proteins keep their fold, identifying where proteins become modified.

Increased concentrations of reacive oxygen species can induce various modifications in cellular proteins. Some are oxydations, while others are due to reactive NO-derivatives. This can lead to functional changes and often acts as signalling triggers. Using a novel gel-free proteomics approach, we will identify the protein targets and locate the sites of modification of these oxidation-related events.

During pathological processes including acute and auto-immune inflammation, microbial infection and tumor growth, white blood cells migrate from blood to tissues and vice versa. Directional leukocyte migration is regulated by adhesion molecules, cytokines, chemokines and proteases. Chemokines are proteins that attract leukocytes along a chemokine concentration gradient. Posttranslational modifications (PTM) such as limited truncation and ...