Kossiakoff Lab
Principal Investigator: Anthony A Kossiakoff
Institution: University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
Primary Subfield: Molecular & Cell Bio
Recruitment Status: Inquire for rotation/fellowship opportunities
Research Focus
Project Abstract: Membrane proteins are complex molecular machines whose functions are governed by sets of programed conformational transitions. Attempts to establish the fundamental molecular mechanisms that link membrane protein structure and dynamics to functions they induce have been thwarted by a number of seemingly insurmountable technical barriers. Principal among these barriers is that the conformational transitions are too transient to be studied using traditional structural biology techniques. To overcome these barriers, we have developed and implemented a set of novel methodologies and reagents based on phage display generated synthetic antibodies (sABs). Customize phage display selection strategies enable generation of sABs endowed with special properties, for instance, conformation and regio-specificity. These reagents have been used to study the molecular properties of transient states of membrane proteins at unprecedented detail. While sABs have demonstrated efficacy as crystallization chaperones, their use in cryo-EM as powerful fiducial marks, adding 50 kDa to the particle and their ability to trap conformation states, is especially impactful in studies linking con…
Active NIH Awards
- 5R01GM117372-11: Chaperone-Assisted Structure Determination of Membrane Proteins (2026)
- 5R01GM117372-10: Chaperone-Assisted Structure Determination of Membrane Proteins (2025)
- 2R01GM117372-09: Chaperone-Assisted Structure Determination of Membrane Proteins (2024)
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