Event Information
Joan-Emma Shea
(University of California, Santa Barbara)
Effects of the Cellular Environment on Protein Folding: Chaperones and Aggregation
Departmental Seminar
Effects of the Cellular Environment on Protein Folding: Chaperones and Aggregation
- Abstract:
- A number of diseases are associated with protein misfolding. In the case of Alzheimer’s disease, incorrectly folded Amyloid-beta (A) proteins self-assemble into a variety of neurotoxic aggregate species, ranging from small soluble oligomers to amyloid fibrils. The cell has evolved a number of defense mechanisms against protein misfolding, including the use of chaperonin molecules that recognize misfolded proteins and guide them to their correct native state. I will discuss two topics related to protein folding in the cell: a) A theoretical investigation of the mechanism by which chaperonin molecules increase protein folding yields and b) Molecular dynamics simulations of the interaction of aggregation inhibiting peptides with A; fibrils.
Host: David Beratan
Departmental Seminar