It's known that anionic lipid charge enhances alpha-synuclein's ability to bind membranes. But did you know that alpha-synuclein can preferentially bind to neutral membranes when they are full of packing defects?
Read about it in our latest preprint!
New paper from my group! We show that membrane surface hydrophobicity, driven by lipid packing defects, can be just as important, and possibly even more important, than surface charge in governing alpha-synuclein binding.
Here is the open-access link:
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
New preprint from our lab!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Using reconstituted lipid bilayers and truncation mutants, we show that α-synuclein remodels membranes through electrostatic repulsion from its anionic C-terminal region, augmented by its N-terminal region via asymmetric bilayer insertion.
Some very clever and interesting membrane biophysicists (and also me) are doing a little webinar on... well, membrane biophysics of today and tomorrow.
Check it out if you have time!
New preprint from my lab! Clathrin doesn’t bind membranes directly, yet it can still drive membrane bending and fission by transmitting its mechanical properties through adaptor proteins.
Our collaborators:
@samuelfoley.com
@mejohnson81.bsky.social
BioRxiv link:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
As #BlackHistoryMonth comes to a close, we reflect upon the remarkable achievements of Black biophysicists. We congratulate outstanding the “Black In Biophysics” seminar co-chairs and speakers at #BPS2025.
We are committed to promoting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in #STEM fields ✊🏾
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The #BlackInBiophysics Symposium at #BPS2025 highlighted #BlackExcellence in broad areas of biophysics research. We congratulate Drs. Alaji Bah, Breann Brown, Oleta Johnson, and Wade Zeno for their outstanding work. You inspire us!
#RepresentationMatters
@biophysicalsoc.bsky.social
Today is the last day of #BPS2026!
We loved celebrating the accomplishments of our community. Starting with our inaugural #BIBPS Travel Awardees, Emmanuel Osei and Skylar Grimsley, to the outstanding science shared at the #BlackInBiophysics Symposium. Congratulations to all! 👏🏾
www.biorxiv.org
www.biorxiv.org
Wade Zeno
Wade Zeno
Wade Zeno
Wade Zeno
Black In Biophysics
Black In Biophysics
Black In Biophysics
Levental Lab
Folks, this is Biophysics Week! To honor the occasion, the Membrane Structure and Function Subgroup is organizing a webinar tomorrow, Tuesday March 25, at 11am EDT. If you're not yet registered, do so now! Will be fun! 🧪
Registration link is here:
us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Lipid Packing Defects are Necessary and Sufficient for Membrane Binding of alpha-Synuclein https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.14.623669v1
alpha-Synuclein (alphaSyn), an intrinsically disordered protein implicated in Parkinson's disease, i
