Professor Dr. Kay Grünewald
Universität Hamburg
Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Integrated structural cell biology of herpesviruses

This presentation will give an insight on different steps in the life cycle of herpesviruses on the molecular level. Using a combination of cell and structural biology approaches - ranging from different fluorescence microscopy modalities to our core expertise in electron cryo microscopy/tomography and combining this with various other techniques - we follow viruses as probes as they modulate basic cell biological processes. Being a family of neurotropic viruses, herpesviruses have mastered the remodelling of membranes of their host cells, something that is of particular interest to us. I will present insights into several such processes ranging from structural nanotopology and molecular gymnastics of herpesvirus glycoproteins to viral modulation of the nuclear envelope in the course of viral assembly and egress. Along the biological questions we also push technological developments, like super-resolution cryo fluorescence microscopy or developing DNA signpost origami tags for identifying proteins of interest and I will exemplify their application.

Furthermore, I will give a brief overview of the Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB) in Hamburg and hope to stimulate future interactions.

Host: Professor Poul Nissen, iNANO & Dept. of Molecular Biology and Genetics