Group leader : Winfried Weissenhorn
Research topics
The focus of our research is to obtain insight into the structural and functional role of proteins and complexes that control and catalyze entry and budding processes of enveloped viruses such as HIV-1. We employ a combination of molecular biology, protein chemistry, X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy (collaboration) to address these questions.
Enveloped virus budding
Enveloped viruses express structural proteins that together with a distinct set of cellular proteins mediate virus assembly at cellular membranes and the release of infectious virions. We study cellular complexes such as ESCRT proteins and their regulators to understand the molecular mechanism of virus release by membrane fission.
Keywords
HIV-1, Env, gp41, bnAbs, ESCRT, membrane fission, budding, X-ray crystallography, exosomes, Alix.