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 Integrated structural biology platforms History of Crystallography 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 LA Theatre Works interview about Rosalind Franklin with Pamela Bjorkman 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