The Bjorkman Group at Caltech


BJÖRKPeople BJÖRKLab Information BJÖRKTeaching BJ Ö RKPublications BJÖRKStructures BJÖRK Protocols Plasmid requests (Addgene) Cell line requests Lab mAbs & other reagents Safety \| Lab stuff Instrument sign-up calendar Bjorklab ordering STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY RELATED GROUPS Clemons Group \| Hoelz Group Jensen Group \| Mayo Group Rees Group Molecular Observatory SSRL beamtime/Crystal trays Protein Expression Center WEBSITES OF INTEREST Caltech \| HHMI Biological Imaging Center Caltech Enviornmental Health & Safety Integrated structural biology platforms WebofScience \| CITLibrary \| PubMed CITdirectory \| CITaccess BBE Seminars CRYSTALLOGRAPHY RESOURCES	Our laboratory is interested in protein-protein interactions, particularly those mediating immune recognition. We use X-ray crystallography and biochemistry to study purified proteins, and electron and confocal microscopy to examine protein complexes in cells. Some of our work focuses upon homologs and mimics of class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins, which normally function in peptide presentation to T cells. MHC homologs have similar three-dimensional structures, but different functions including immune functions (IgG transport by the neonatal Fc receptor, FcRn; evasion of the immune response by viral MHC mimics), and non-immune functions (regulation of iron or lipid metabolism by HFE and ZAG). We focus on three interrelated areas: (1) structure/function studies of homologs and mimics of MHC proteins; (2) cell biological studies of antibody receptors, for example, the MHC-related neonatal Fc receptor; and (3) designing antibodies with increased efficacy against HIV. TEDxCaltech: Visualizing and Engineering New Anti-HIV Agents Traveling with Purpose - Volunteering in India World AIDS Day - News Conference on KNBC-TV HIVRAD P01 Project - Development, Structure, and Function of Broadly Neutralizing anti-HIV Antibodies Crystals in space - interview with graduate student Gwen Owens Louise Scharf’s talk at AIDS Vaccine, 2013 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, 114-96 California Institute of Technology 1200 E. California Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91125 (626) 395-8351 phone 626) 792-3683 fax murphym [at] caltech dot edu