Zimmer Lab
Principal Investigator: Jochen Zimmer
Institution: University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA)
Primary Subfield: Molecular & Cell Bio
Recruitment Status: Inquire for rotation/fellowship opportunities
Research Focus
Complex carbohydrates are essential biopolymers ubiquitously expressed in all kingdoms of life. On cell surfaces, they usually perform architectural functions by fortifying the cell boundary, aiding in osmo-regulation, defining an extracellular matrix, and mediating cell-to-cell communications, among many other roles. We understand fairly well how polypeptides are transported across or integrated into biological membranes. Similar mechanisms for polysaccharides, which range from acidic to water-insoluble hydrophobic polymers, remain mostly unexplored, despite playing critical roles in many physiological and pathological processes. My research seeks to fill this gap. We integrate structural biology approaches with biochemistry, glycobiology, biophysics, bioinformatics, and molecular biology to delineate how high molecular weight complex carbohydrates are synthesized and deposited on the cell surface. Leveraging microbial, viral, plant and vertebrate model systems, we provide atomistic descriptions of mechanistically distinct secretion systems. Understanding these processes on a molecular level aids novel drug and biomaterial developments. This proposal combines two research directio…
Active NIH Awards
- 5R35GM144130-05: Synthesis, secretion and assembly of extracellular complex carbohydrates in Gram-negative bacteria (2026)
- 5R35GM144130-04: Synthesis, secretion and assembly of extracellular complex carbohydrates in Gram-negative bacteria (2025)
- 5R35GM144130-03: Synthesis, secretion and assembly of extracellular complex carbohydrates in Gram-negative bacteria (2024)
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