Physics and Astronomy Calendar

Proteins are nature’s nanomachines and perform the essential cellular processes that keep you and me alive. While much physical research has centered on characterizing the dynamics and behavior of isolated proteins, it has become increasingly clear that proteins are not loners, but team players. The modern view of cell function is based on intricate networks of protein-protein interactions. These networks are not the result of randomly colliding individual protein molecules. We now know that nearly every major cellular process is carried out by assemblies of protein molecules. Our lab develops techniques for the direct and quantitative characterization of protein assemblies inside living cells. I will introduce the experimental technique and discuss two applications: (1) the initial interactions that lead to gene activation, and (2) the assembly of the HIV retrovirus.