Ruthstein Lab Research

In the living cell, dynamic biological processes are mediated by changes in non-covalent interactions among biological molecules. Understanding these interactions at the molecular level is crucial for our understanding of how living cells function. In order to be able to target a cellular biologic pathway, it is necessary to be able to probe even weak interactions between proteins (< micro Molar), such that also minor banding or conformational adjustment by the protein upon protein-protein interaction or protein-metal/ligand coordination will be resolved and combine it with state-of-the-art simulation techniques that can fill the lack of information inaccessible to experiments.

In our lab, we utilize EPR measurements together with NMR, CD, various biochemical experiments, and computational methods to study in detail the cellular copper cycle in eukaryotic and prokaryotic systems. All proteins are expressed and purified in our lab.