Columbus Labs

The research aims of the Columbus laboratory are two-fold:

To address the challenges in membrane protein structural biology
To investigate the structural determinants of bacterial pathogen - host interactions mediated by membrane proteins.

Specifically, the structures of neisserial Opa proteins, which interact with host proteins and are directly involved in bacterial pathogenesis, are of interest.

However, in order to investigate the structure of these proteins, as well as the complexes with the host receptors, methods for accelerating structure determination are being developed. [Read more→]

Recent Headlines

The Columbus Laboratory moved to the new Physical Life Science Building» January 12, 2012
Two graduate students and an undergraduate join the lab» January 10, 2012
Alison and Jackie’s paper #15 of the “Top 25 Hottest Articles” in Biophysical Journal» November 9, 2011

Recent Publications

Physical Determinants of β-Barrel Membrane Protein Folding in Lipid Vesicles»
Dewald AH, Hodges JC, Columbus L. Biophysical Journal 100:2131 – 2140. The spontaneous folding of two Neisseria outer membrane proteins, opacity-associated (Opa)60 and Opa50 into lipid vesicles was investigated by systematically varying bulk and membrane properties. Centrifugal fractionation coupled with sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis mobility assays enabled the discrimination of aggregate, unfolded membrane-associated, [...]