Maria Kurnikova

Address:
Chemistry Department
Carnegie Mellon University,
4400 Fifth ave,
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Phone: 412-268-9772
Email: kurnikova@cmu.edu
Homepage: Visit

Background:

When and where you received your PhD
1998 PhD in Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Where you did your postdoc
1998-1999 University of Tel-Aviv, Israel, 1999-2001 University of Pittsburgh/NIST

Research:

Currently research in my group focuses on theoretical/computational modeling of structure/function relationships and mechanisms of functioning of ion channel and receptor proteins. These proteins are typically constructed as multi-subunit assemblies. Each subunit in turn may consist of several structurally distinct protein domains in a modular fashion. For example, Glutamate Receptors (GluR); are formed as tetramers with a bundle of alpha-helixes spanning the lipid bilayer (biological membrane); and forming a water-filled channel for ion permeation. The channel is gated (opens and closes); when ligand molecules, such as an agonist glutamate, bind to the extracellularly located ligand binding domains of the protein. Passage of a gating signal from the ligand binding to the transmembrane domain is not well understood. We are currently working toward developing theoretical models and computational methodologies which combine hierarchically molecular level description of the protein and its important “chemistry”, e.g. ligand interaction with the ligand binding domain, and a coarse grained description of the protein which will allow us to model interaction and mobility of protein domains and subunits on micro- to millisecond time-scales relevant to the physiological function.