Systematic Discovery of Protein Function
One of the hallmarks of eukaryotic cells is the presence of membrane-enclosed organelles that create optimized environments best suited for promoting the various chemical reactions required to sustain life. Although nearly 30 years have passed since the publication of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome sequence, over 25% of the proteins still do not have a known biochemical function.
Most of these proteins are conserved all the way to humans and some have been implicated in diseases. One of the great challenges of the post-genomic era is, therefore, to use novel methodologies to fill in these gaps in our knowledge, to uncover the functions of these unstudied proteins.
Our lab is dedicated to uncovering novel functions for yeast organellar proteins. We do this by employing a wide variety of high throughput screening techniques complemented by dedicated cell biological, genetic and biochemical follow ups.
Ofir's Research
Trace metals homeostasis in mitochondria
Ofir is fascinated by the role of trace metals in the cell as a whole and is focusing on their flux in mitochondria. Trace metals such as zinc and copper are found in extremely low concentrations in mitochondria but are essential for all mitochondrial functions. Ofir hopes to unravel how such metals are regulated and transported in and out of mitochondria.
Sarah's Research
Development of Multi-CLEM in
mammalian cells
Sarah is developing a high-throughput screening approach (multi-CLEM) for electron microscopy in mammalian cells. The combination of fluorescence microscopy for barcoding of tens or hundreds of differently manipulated cells and electron microscopy will allow quantitative imaging at the ultrastructure level.
Sivan's Research
Gaining new insights about yeast metabolism using multi-species metabolomics
Sivan is interested in the genetics of metabolism in yeast, and studies how the metabolomic footprint is affected by speciation. To do this, Sivan analyses large metabolomic, proteomic and transcriptomic datasets from a collection of nearly 1000 strains, collected from different environments.
Lior's Research
Discovering New Peroxisomal Proteins Via a Novel Fluorescent Genomic Library
Lior is interested in using new fluorescently tagged genomic libraries for the identification of new peroxisomal proteins. Lior wishes to uncover the targeting pathways that they take to reach peroxisomes and elucidate their biological features and function.
Noga's Research
Discovering new modes of mitochondrial-nuclear communication
Noga is fascinated by how mitochondria relay information to the nucleus to coordinate cellular responses.
She aims to uncover previously unknown proteins and mechanisms that enable this communication and coordination to maintain cellular homeostasis
Din's Research
Revealing Hidden Protein Populations in Cells
Din is focused on uncovering proteins that reside in Organelles at levels too low to be detected by conventional localization methods. By developing a genome-wide yeast resource based on a dynamic and reversible fluorescent detection system, he is creating a platform that generates a signal only when proteins enter a chosen organelle. This approach enables the visualization of transient and low-abundance protein populations that would otherwise remain hidden, providing new insights into the dynamic organization of the cell.
Dunya's Research
Uncovering the functions of uncharacterised mitochondrial enzymes
Mitochondria are central hubs of cellular metabolism, yet many of their proteins remain functionally uncharacterized. My research aims to uncover the biochemical functions of these conserved mitochondrial enzymes. By integrating computational enzyme prediction, genetic engineering, fluorescence microscopy, and untargeted metabolomics, I am developing a systematic framework to assign functions to previously unstudied proteins. This work seeks to expand our understanding of mitochondrial metabolism and establish scalable approaches for functional annotation of the eukaryotic proteome.
Learn more
Discover a unique aspect of cellular biology we've been researching for years. This short film we produced offers an insightful look into an often-overlooked organelle.
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