Structural Biology Laboratory
Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste
We apply molecular and structural biology tools to study the basic genetic processes within the cell and to characterise some of the proteins involved. Structural biology is an interdisciplinary research area, requiring expertises from both the life sciences and the physical sciences. We use protein crystallography to determine the atomic structure of these proteins, as well as biochemical and biophysical approaches to understand how they work. Crystallographic studies are complemented by the concomitant use of electron microscopy to visualise the architecture of large complexes and/or small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to obtain additional structural information.
Our research focus on DNA replication, genome stability and cell signalling. These are crucial events in the cell cycle, underpinning cellular processes with important consequences such as cell proliferation and genome stability. Failure to control these processes causes chromosome instability, which can lead to the development of cellular abnormalities, genetic diseases and the onset of cancer.
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