Structural Biology

Biography

The Buck laboratory studies two receptor families responsible for cell guidance and positional maintenance (Plexins and Ephrins), both with key involvement in cardiovascular and neuronal development and disease, esp. cancer. We use a wide range of structural biology (solution NMR / x-ray crystallography) and protein biophysical tools (CD, fluorescence spectroscopy, ITC and SPR) in a problem oriented approach. Part of the laboratory also pursues computational modeling and molecular dynamics to provide additional perspective on the problems, provide new insights into the experimental data and to suggest further studies. Small GTPases and their interaction with the plexin receptor cytoplasmic domains has been a major focus of the laboratory and recently we have become very interested in protein-membrane interactions; both the transmembrane regions of the receptors as well as the transient interactions of receptor and GTPase domains with membranes

Research Interest

Biophysics, Molecular modeling and dynamics