FSU Biology - Faculty Research Interests - Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics

Department of Biological Science

at Florida State University

Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics

  • P. Bryant Chase
    Biomechanics of cardiac and skeletal muscle.

  • Jonathan H. Dennis
    The biology of chromatin involved in the innate immune response.

  • Debra A. Fadool
    Structure and Function of Ion Channel Proteins; Signal Transduction and Neuromodulation by Phosphorylation; Impact of Obesity and Diabetes mellitus on Olfactory and Sensory Processes

  • Peter Fraser
    Dynamic changes in chromatin and chromosome architecture regulates patterns of cellular gene expression during differentiation and development, or in response to environmental signals. Our research looks at various levels of chromatin, chromosome and nuclear structure, from individual nucleosome modifications to the dynamic 3D structure of chromosomes and their inter-relationships in the nucleus and how they affect genome functions.

  • Ashwanth Francis
    Structure-function studies of virus cell biology. We use live-cell imaging and cryo-EM to uncover mechanisms of virus transport, virus disassembly, nuclear pore interactions and virus compartmentalization inside the nucleus of living cells

  • Steven Lenhert
    Biological membranes; cell-substrate interactions; bionanotechnology.

  • Scott Stagg
    Research in the Stagg lab is directed towards two tracks: the mechanisms of membrane trafficking, and high-throughput high-resolution cryo-EM. On the biological side, we determine the structure and mechanisms of protein complexes involved in vesicle trafficking pathways. We have determined structures of COPII and clathrin coats as well as other membrane remodeling complexes. On the technical side, we develop experimental and computational methods to improve structure determination by cryo-EM.

  • M. Elizabeth Stroupe
    The Stroupe laboratory uses cryogenic electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography to discover fundamental mechanisms in ribosome biogenesis and sulfur metabolism.

  • Paul Q. Trombley
    Olfaction; synaptic physiology and plasticity; ion channel modulation.

  • Kenneth A. Taylor
    Macromolecular structure determination by 3-D electron microscopy; muscle, cytoskeleton and cell adhesion structure; virus structure.

  • Dr. Qian Yin
    Structural and mechanistic studies on proteins and protein assemblies in innate immunity, inflammation, host-pathogen interactions, membrane trafficking, and autophagy.

  • Fanxiu Zhu
    Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV); viral evasion of the host innate immune responses; viral modulation of the host kinase signaling pathways; role and assembly of KSHV tegument proteins.


The primary research focus of this group is the elucidation of the 3-dimensional structures, functional properties, and assemblages of biological macromolecules using biophysical techniques (e.g. X-ray crystallography, cryoelectron microscopy, electron diffraction, computational modeling, EPR and NMR spectroscopy). This research effort is part of the interdepartmental Structural Biology Program, which is based in the Institute of Molecular Biophysics. Additional research areas of faculty in this group include radiation biology, NMR imaging & cellular diffusion measurements, membrane biophysics, and molecular/cell biology. Students have access to a variety of superb research facilities housed in the Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Biological Science, and the nearby National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.Graduate training in Structural Biology also is available through the Molecular Biophysics Program