IPLS Seminar - Dr Anton Zilman

Title: Simple biophysics underpins the collective behavior of the intrinsically disordered proteins of the Nuclear Pore Complex: implications for the architecture and the transport mechanism

Abstract: Nuclear Pore Complex (NPC) is a key cellular transporter  that controls nucleocytoplasmic transport in eukaryotic cells,  but its transport mechanism is still not understood. It is a complex "biomachine", able to selectively transport hundreds of  cargoes per second in presence of  vast amounts of molecular noise. The centerpiece of NPC transport is the assembly of intrinsically disordered proteins, lining its passageway, which in many aspects behave like conventional polymers. Their conformations and collective dynamics during transport are difficult to assess in vivo. In vitro investigations provide partially conflicting results, lending support to different models of transport. Despite its complexity, many of the aspects of the behavior of the Nuclear Pore Complex can be understood throuh the prism of simple physical models with minimal number of key physical variables, such as the average protein interaction strengths and their spatial densities. I will describe physical principles of the NPC operation - from single molecule level to systems function and will discuss how these principles are being used for creation of artificial nano-molecular devices for protein sorting and other applications.

Host: Dr Bart Hoogenboom (b.hoogenboom@ucl.ac.uk)

Please contact Bart if you would like to meet with Anton during his visit. Students and postdocs are also invited to have lunch with Anton immediately following the seminar. Space is limited, so contact An (a.tyrrell@ucl.ac.uk) if you would like a spot.