Reimagining how we study biomolecules
Publications
Below, you will find a list of recent publications including a brief description for each study. For a full list, you can visit our Google scholar profile or click on "View All Publications".
Lifting the concentration limit of mass photometry by PEG nanopattering
Kratochvil J, Asor R, Helmi S, Struwe WB, Kukura P
This paper by Jiri , Roi, Seham, Weston and Philipp demonstrates a substantial expansion in the application space of mass photometry through the combination of nanoparticle lithography with surface PEGylation, which results in a two orders of magnitude improvement in the upper concentration limit associated with mass photometry. Their artwork was chosen as cover art for NanoLetters 24 (33).
1 Jul 2024
Myosin-5 varies its step length to carry cargo straight along the irregular F-actin track
Fineberg A, Takagi Y, Thirumurugan K, Andrecka J, Billington N, Young G, Cole D, Burgess SA, Curd AP, Hammer JA, Sellers JR, Kukura P, Knight PJ
Myosin-5 carries cargoes inside cells by walking along helical F-actin filaments. Myosin-5 avoids walking helically by taking long steps equal to F-actin’s helical repeat. Previous measurements of step length show a broader spread of values than expected from the spatial resolution of the technique. We used iSCAT and electron microscopies, which have subnanometer precision, and find that the broad peak is really a family of narrow peaks that correspond to steps spanning different numbers of subunits along F-actin. We show that disorder within F-actin is the reason myosin-5 varies its step length because the F-actin subunit best oriented for walking in a straight line changes from step to step. Thus F-actin disorder has important impacts on cellular functions. This paper is the outcome of a longstanding collaboration between the Kukura group and NIH in Bethesda.
21 Mar 2024
Single-molecule light scattering using optical holography
Thiele, JC, Pfitzner, E, Kukura, P
Scientists from our group have detected ultra-weak light scattering from single protein molecules using optical holography. Published in Nature Photonics, the new approach increases the sensitivity of the technique by five orders of magnitude compared to the current state of art. This breakthrough paves the way for a wider exploration of biomolecular interactions and applications in nanoscience.
13 Mar 2024
Effect of temperature and nucleotide on the binding of BiP chaperone to a protein substrate
Rivera M, Burgos-Bravo F, Engelberger F, Asor R, Lagos-Espinoza MIA, Figueroa M, Kukura P, Ramirez-Sarmiento CA, Baez M, Smith SB, Wilson CAM
One of the results of a 3 month sabbatical that Christian spent with us. New system, new science, new ideas - could not ask for more from a sabbatical. Thank you!
16 Jun 2023
A quantitative description for optical mass measurements of single biomolecules
Becker J, Peters J, Crooks I, Helmi S, Synakewicz M, Schuler B, Kukura P,
Jan's tour de force - where 9 years later we finally believe that the signals we see actually make sense, plus gives us lots of hope as to where MP can eventually go. And he answers probably the most often asked question after seminars: does shape matter? Well, a little bit...
19 May 2023
The dynamic nature of netrin-1 and the structural basis for glycosaminoglycan fragment-induced filament formation
Meier M, Gupta M, Akgul S, McDougall M, Imhof, T, Nikodemus D, Reuten R, Moya-Torres A, To V, Ferens F, Heide F, Padilla-Meier GP, Kukura P, Huang W, Gerisch B, Morgelin M, Poole K, Antebi A, Koch M, Stetefeld J
One of our earliest collaborations using MP that turned into a much bigger and impressive story led by the Stetefeld group. Another great example of the importance of oligomerisation for a range of cellular processes.
3 Mar 2023
Engineer RNA-Protein Nanowires as Light-Responsive Biomaterials
Younas T, Liu Ch, Struwe WB, Kukura P, He L
And yet another paper that has emerged from a hugely productive visit by Chang to Oxford. Here, we used MP to help understand light-responsive RNA-protein nanowire switching and function.
15 Jan 2023
Lipids mediate supramolecular outer membrane protein assembly in bacteria
Webby MN, Oluwole AO, Pedebos C, Inns PG, Olerinyova A, Prakaash D, Housden NG, Benn G, Sun D, Hoogenboom BW, Kukura P, Shabaz M, Robinson CV, Khalid S, Kleanthous C
A great collaboration with a number of groups from the Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery. Excited to see that MP could help elucidate the role of lipids in the stability of bacterial outer membranes.
2 Nov 2022
Direct observation of the molecular mechanism underlying protein polymerization
Hundt N, Cole D, Hantke MF, Miller JJ, Struwe WB, Kukura P
One of the most challenging studies this group has ever completed. What started out as a simple idea required years of improvement in instrumentation, completely new approaches to data analysis and the development of a new model to understand how actin polymerises. We think a first in terms of demonstrating what can be done with MP in the context of highly heterogeneous mixtures.
5 Sept 2022
Shape-Morphing of an Artificial Protein Cage with Unusual Geometry Induced by a Single Amino Acid Change
Sharma M, Biela AP, Kowalczyk A, Borzęcka-Solarz K, Piette BMAG, Gaweł S, Bishop J, Kukura P, Benesch JLP, Imamura M, Scheuring S, and Heddle JG*
We have shown that a nano-sized spherical protein cage can undergo a major change in shape simply by changing a single amino acid. The work is interesting as it provides insight into how artificial protein containers can be engineered and molded into different shapes for different applications. It also is of interest from an evolutionary perspective: Typically, evolution is thought to occur gradually but this work is an example where major structural changes in large complexes come about from a single change.
9 May 2022
Characterising biomolecular interactions and dynamics with mass photometry
Asor R, Kukura P
We review recent advances in our ability to characterise biomolecular structure, interactions and associated dynamics by mass photometry (MP), the label-free detection and mass measurement of individual biomolecules in solution. Molecular counting and identification provides direct access to relative abundance, and thereby affinities, while associated dynamics yield on- and off-rates. The molecular resolution afforded by MP enables these measurements as a function of stoichiometry and assembly at equilibrium, as opposed to the majority of existing solution-based methods. Together with future improvements in terms of assays and technological performance, MP is likely to provide mechanistic details of complex biomolecular processes.
7 Apr 2022
Single molecule mass photometry reveals the dynamic oligomerization of human and plant peroxiredoxins
Liebthal M, Kushwah MS, Kukura P, Dietz KJ
A collaboration that started on the blackboard after a talk in Bielefeld, involved a number of visits by Michael to Oxford and resulted in a great example how mass photometry can help with understanding polydispersity of proteins, and how that polydispersity relates to function.
12 Oct 2021
Micromirror total internal reflection microscopy for high-performance single particle tracking at interfaces
Meng X, Sonn-Segev A, Schumacher A, Cole D, Young G, Thorpe S, Style RW, Dufresne ER, Kukura P.
It's not all about interferometric scattering. Darkfield, especially with super-optimised micromirrors is really, really awesome. If you are tracking metal nanoparticles, we think this is the way to go. And maybe even for molecules...
7 Oct 2021
Custom design of protein particles as multifunctional biomaterials
Shanbhag BK, Liu C, Pradeep GC, Younas T, Hu KKY, Fulcher AJ, Struwe WB, Steer D, Dumsday G, Harper IS, Kukura P, Haritos VS, He L.
Wonderful work by the He group on designing protein nanoparticles to which we could contribute with mass photometry-based characterisation of protein oligomerisation.
5 Oct 2021
Mass photometry enables label-free tracking and mass measurement of single proteins on lipid bilayers.
Foley EDB, Kushwah MSK, Young G, Kukura P
Mass photometry unchained from microscope cover glass. Detection, imaging, tracking and mass measurement of membrane-associated complexes. In our opinion, the beginning of a new era for MP.
4 Oct 2021
Scattering-based light microscopy: from metal nanoparticles to single proteins.
Priest L, Peters JS, Kukura P.
Jack and Lee really, really went all the way in terms of trying to provide an overview of scattering-based light microscopy on the nanoscale. Apologies to those we missed, but hopefully a good starting point for people getting going in this exciting field.
29 Sept 2021
Assembly principles of the human R2TP chaperone complex reveal the presence of R2T and R2P complexes
Seraphim TS, Nardin N, Cheung YWS, Aluksanasuwan S, Colleti C, Mao YQ, Bhandari V, Young G, Hoell L, Phanse S, Gordiyenko Y, Southworth DR, Robinson CV, Thongboonkerd V, Gava LM, Borges J, Babu M, Barbosa LRS, Ramos CHI, Kukura P, Houry WA
Yet another collaboration that started with "let's just have a look" where we could contribute to understanding the role of protein oligomerisation in R2TP with mass photometry.
29 Aug 2021
McsB forms a gated kinase chamber to mark aberrant bacterial proteins for degradation
Hajdusits B, Suskiewicz MJ, Hundt N, Meinhart A, Kurzbauer R, Leodolter J, Kukura P, Clausen T.
Started with a 5 minute chat after listening to Tim's amazing talk at the Klosters Winterseminar, and turned into an amazing story. Huge amount of work by the Clausen lab, with us contributing olgiomerisation dynamics - and surprises - at low concentration.
29 Jul 2021
The linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC) generates heterotypic ubiquitin chains
Carvajal AR, Grishkovskaya I, Gomez DC, Vogel A, Sonn-Segev A, Kushwah MS, Schodl K, Deszcz L, Orban-Nemeth Z, Sakamoto S, Mechtler K, Kukura P, Clausen T, Haselbach D, Ikeda F.
Another collaboration with IMP Vienna on proteasomal degradation mechanisms where we used mass photometry to help determine the stoichiometry and oligomerisation of LUBAC.
17 Jun 2021