Area of research
Ecology · Materials Chemistry
Research interest
Research topics from publications: IgE epitope proximity determines immune complex shape and effector cell activation capacity; Visualization of Retroviral Envelope Spikes in Complex with the V3 Loop Antibody 447-52D on Intact Viruses by Cryo-Electron Tomography; Segmentation by classification: A novel and reliable approach for semi-automatic selection of HIV/SIV envelope spikes. Representative work: UNLABELLED: The gp120 portion of the envelope spike on human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) plays a critical role in viral entry into host cells and is a key target for the humoral immune response, and yet many structural details remain elusive. We have used cryoelectron tomography to visualize the binding of the broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibody (MAb) 447-52D to intact envelope spikes on virions of HIV-1 MN strain. Antibody 447-52D has previously been shown to bind to the tip of the V3 loop. Our results show antibody arms radiating from the sides of the gp120 protomers at a range of angles and place the antibody-bound V3 loop in an orientation that differs from that predicted