Speaker: Rudolf Mößbauer Tenure Track Professor Matthias Feige (Cellular Protein Biochemistry Lab, TUM Institute for Advanced Study and Department of Chemistry)
Date: Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Time: 17:00 c.t.
Location: Department of Chemistry, Room 26411, Lichtenbergstraße 4, 85748 Garching
Abstract:
Proteins are the structurally most complex molecules found in nature. It is their structural diversity that allows them to perform their vast array of functions from enzyme catalysis to immune defense. In the cell, however, proteins are synthesized as a chain of amino acids that first has to adopt its defined three dimensional structure in order to become functional. Failures in protein folding give rise to numerous human diseases either due to loss of function, e.g. in cystic fibrosis, or due to a toxic gain of function as exemplified by Alzheimer’s disease.
We use an interdisciplinary approach from protein biochemistry and structural biology to mammalian cell biology to reveal the machinery and dissect the mechanisms of protein folding in the cell. Our work focusses on proteins of the secretory pathway which, once folded, allow cells to interact with their environment and are in many cases of immediate medical and biotechnological relevance. During this lecture, insights into our work in the Laboratory for Cellular Protein Biochemistry at the TUM Institute for Advanced Study and Department of Chemistry will be given.
There will be a reception (drinks and snacks) after the lecture.
