A detailed knowledge of the structures and dynamics of macromolecules and macromolecular complexes is essential for understanding reaction mechanisms and recognition processes. Research programs are under way at CARB aimed at studying macromolecular structure and dynamics using x-ray crystallography and high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. To facilitate these efforts, CARB maintains state-of-the-art, shared X-ray and NMR facilities.

Macromolecular Crystallography

Crystals of macromolecules diffract X-rays, a property that has been exploited to determine the accurate three-dimensional structures of a wide range of proteins, DNA and RNA molecules, and of multi component complexes of these macromolecules. All steps of structure determination have been automated in recent years, leading to a rapid growth in the number of structures available for the scientific community. In addition to the insight into aspects of basic biology, knowledge of the structures also has practical applications such as drug development and protein engineering. CARB researchers make extensive use of x-ray crystallography in a number of programs including:

1. Structural genomics, structural enzymology, Giardia drug targets - Osnat Herzberg
2. Structural immunology - Roy Mariuzza

Biomolecular NMR Spectroscopy

NMR is a powerful tool for probing atomic-level structure and dynamics of biological macromolecules in solution. Recent technological developments and higher magnetic fields now extend NMR structural analysis to include membrane proteins and large macromolecular complexes. Currently, researchers at CARB are developing and applying NMR techniques in four broad areas of research:

1. Protein folding and engineering - John Orban , Phil Bryan
2. Structural genomics - John Orban
3. RNA structure and RNA-protein interactions - John Marino
4. Structure and mechanism of proteins in signal transduction - John Marino