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SUMMARY:From Atoms to Behavior: the Evolutionary “Design” of Proteins
DTSTART:20190614T150000
DTSTAMP:20260403T211746Z
UID:c19300f206acb99e6a2f9f615f8d40011d48a328c3dfe7283260e183
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Prof. Rama Ranganathan\, Center for Physics of Evolving System
 s\, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology\, Institute for Molecular Engineering
 \, University of Chicago\, IL (USA)\nBIOENGINEERING SEMINAR\n \nAbstract:
 \nProteins can fold spontaneously into well-defined three-dimensional stru
 ctures and can carry out complex biochemical reactions such as binding\, c
 atalysis\, and long-range information transfer. The precision required for
  these properties is achieved while also preserving evolvability – the c
 apacity to adapt in response to fluctuating selection pressures in the env
 ironment. What is the basic design of proteins that supports all of these 
 properties?  Recent work suggests that rather than direct physical analys
 is\, statistical analysis of genome sequences provides a powerful and gene
 ral approach to this problem. Using different methodologies\, this approac
 h has revealed both direct structural contacts as well as collective funct
 ional modes within protein structures. These evolution-based models must b
 e understood in the context of information and material processing pathway
 s in organisms\; that is\, in the context where molecular properties can b
 e connected to fitness.  In this talk\, I will present a model system cap
 able of connecting atomic-scale features to organismal fitness\, and will 
 describe the current state of understanding the evolutionary design of pro
 teins.\n\nBio:\nDr. Ranganathan grew up in San Diego\, and received his un
 dergraduate degree in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley.  He received his M
 .D. and Ph.D. degrees from UC San Diego\, working jointly with Charles Zuk
 er\, Chuck Stevens\, and Roger Tsien\, and carried out brief postdoctoral 
 studies at Harvard Medical School (with Rod MacKinnon) and the Salk Instit
 ute (with Joe Noel).  He was at UT Southwestern Medical Center from 1997 
 – 2017\, where he built his laboratory and founded the Green Center for 
 Systems Biology. Since late 2017\, he joined the University of Chicago\, w
 ith joint appointments in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and the Institu
 te for Molecular Engineering. He is building a new Center for the Physics 
 of Evolving Systems at UChicago.\n 
LOCATION:SV 1717 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==SV%201717
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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