Kristina Djinovic Carugo Lab: Structural Biology of Cytoskeleton

Our laboratory is interested in the molecular mechanisms underlying the actin-based cytoskeleton of the striated muscle. The most striking feature of muscle and Z-disc proteins in particular, is the high frequency of multiple protein-protein interactions that form part of a complex network. The aim of our research is to generate detailed structural information on the protein-protein interaction network in the striated muscle Z-disk.

To obtain molecular insights we use as the principal technique X-ray crystallography in combination with other biophysical and biochemical methods available at the Department and on the Campus.These activities are complemented by the development of bioinformatics tools for results reification and fine tuning of the protein constructs to be structurally analyzed.

On the methods-development side we are investigating scavengers capable of alleviating the X-ray induced radiation damage in the proteins crystals; we employing diffraction and microspectrometric techniques to monitor the effects.