Benjamin Schuster, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers University, will give a talk titled, "Negative noodles, and positive ones too: Engineering intrinsically disordered proteins"

Zoom link: https://gc-cuny.zoom.us/j/91032629703. Meeting ID:  910 3262 9703. Passcode: ASRC+CCNY

ABSTRACT

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) do not fold into a fixed three-dimensional structure, and some IDPs can be thought of as spaghetti-like proteins. Many IDPs exhibit phase behavior that is closely coupled to their function. In this talk, I will describe several recent discoveries from my lab, along with our collaborators, relating to biomolecular condensates formed from phase-separated IDPs. I will focus on our efforts to understand the relationship between IDP sequence, phase behavior, rheology, and function. If time permits, I will also discuss our work to develop a nanoparticle toolbox to study controlled and orthogonal partitioning of clients into IDP condensates. Together, this work demonstrates the opportunity for discovery at the intersection of protein engineering and nanoscience, with impacts from fundamental biophysics to biotechnology and biomedicine.