Papoian, Garegin - University of Maryland - Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

个人简介

Cornell University, Ph.D. Ithaca, NY, 1999 Russian Academy of Sciences, Higher Chemical College, Undergraduate Studies, Moscow, Russia, 1994

研究领域

Garegin Papoian is the Monroe Martin Associate Professor, with joint appointment in Chemistry and Institute for Physical Science and Technology. His group is striving to understand complex biological phenomena based on fundamental physical and chemical principles. His current research interests include DNA packing in cells of higher organisms and cellular cytoskeleton and motility. Students and postdocs in the Papoian group use theoretical physical chemistry techniques, including advanced computational methods, to study biological processes at multiple scales, from single protein functional dynamics and chromatin folding and stability to cell-level processes, such as stochastic signal transduction and regulation of cell motility. Group members are exposed to diverse areas of equilibrium and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, polymer physics, computational protein modeling and bioinformatics. Two on-going projects are briefly outlined below. The Papoian group develops detailed computational models of the way eukaryotic cells move around and sense their environment. Cell motility plays a key role in human biology and disease, contributing ubiquitously to such important processes as embryonic development, wound repair and cancer metastasis. Physical chemistry behind these complex, far-from-equilibrium mechano-chemical processes are poorly understood. Papoian group’s research aims to elucidate the mechanism and dynamics of the self-assembly of actin-ﬁlament networks and bundles, which, in turn, drive cell’s leading edge and allow the cell to project long, finger-like protrusions to probe for attractant and repellant cues in cell’s exterior. They collaborate with biologists to experimentally verify computational model predictions and suggest new classes of experiments. Successful completion of their research would allow for better rational control of biochemical reaction circuits that regulate eukaryotic cell motility. Papoian’s lab also aims to understand the way DNA is packaged in the nuclei of higher organisms. The total length of DNA in each eukaryotic cell can reach 2 m, however, it must be housed in a micrometer size cell. This staggering six orders of magnitude compaction is achieved by wrapping DNA around protein octamers called histones, to form nucleosomes. The latter in turn fold into a superstructure called the 30-nm fiber, which then further folds into higher order chromatin structures. The exact mechanisms of chromatin formation and dynamics are not fully understood, but misregulation of chromatin may result in human genetic diseases. Papoian’s lab develops physico-chemical computational models to study the chromatin folding and dynamics.

近期论文

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I. Echeverria, D. E. Makarov and G. A. Papoian*, "Concerted Dihedral Rotations Give Rise to Internal Friction in Unfolded Proteins"; J. Am. Chem. Soc.; 2014, [Article] R. Erban, M. Flegg and G. A. Papoian*, "Multiscale Stochastic Reaction-Diffusion Modeling: Application to Actin Dynamics in Filopodia"; Bulletin of Mathematical Biology; 2014, 76, 799–818 [Article] K. Popov and G. A. Papoian*, "Capsid Deformations Reveal Complex Mechano-Chemistry"; Biophysical Journal; 2013, 105 (10), 2233–2234 [Article] L. Hu and G. A. Papoian*, "Molecular Transport Modulates the Adaptive Response of Branched Actin Networks to an External Force"; J. Phys. Chem. B.; 2013, 117 (42), 13388–13396 [Article] D. Ma, S. Bettis, K. Hanson, M. Minakova, L. Alibabaei, W. Fondrie, D. Ryan, G. A. Papoian, T. J. Meyer, M. L. Waters and J. M. Papanikolas, "Interfacial Energy Conversion in RuII Polypyridyl-Derivatized Oligoproline Assemblies on TiO2" ; J. Am. Chem. Soc.; 2013, 135 (14), 5250–5253 [Article] D. A. Potoyan, A. Savelyev and G. A. Papoian*, "Recent successes in coarse-grained modeling of DNA"; WIREs Comput. Mol. Sci.; 2013, 3, 69–83 [Article PDF] W. Zheng, N. Schafer, A. Davtyan, G. A. Papoian and P. G. Wolynes, "Predictive Energy Landscapes for Protein-Protein Association"; Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA; 2012, 109 (47), 19244–19429 [Article] D. A. Potoyan and G. A. Papoian*, "Regulation of the H4 tail binding and folding landscapes via Lys-16 acetylation" ; Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA; 2012, 109, 17857-17862 [Article] P. I. Zhuravlev, Y. Lan, M. S. Minakova and G. A. Papoian*, "Theory of active transport in filopodia and stereocilia" ; Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA; 2012, 109 (27), 10849–10854 [Article PDF (on PNAS website)] M. Rubinstein and G. A. Papoian*, "Polyelectrolytes in biology and soft matter" ; Soft Matter; 2012, 8, 9265–9267 [Article] D. J. Wilger, S. E. Bettis, C. K. Materese, M. S. Minakova, G. A. Papoian*, J. M. Panpanikolas and M. L. Waters, "Tunable Energy Transfer Rates via Control of Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Structure of a Coiled Coil Peptide Scaffold"; Inorganic Chemistry; 2012, 51, 11324 [Article] A. Davtyan, W. Zheng, N. Schafer, C. Clementi, P. G. Wolynes and G. A. Papoian*, "AWSEM-MD: Protein Structure Prediction Using Coarse-grained Physical Potentials and Bioinformatically Based Local Structure Biasing"; J. Phys. Chem. B.; 2012,116 (29), 8494–8503 [Article] D. A. Potoyan, P. I. Zhuravlev and G. A. Papoian*, "Computing Free Energy of a Large-Scale Allosteric Transition in Adenylate Kinase using All Atom Explicit Solvent Simulations"; J. Phys. Chem. B.; 2012,116, 1709–1715 [Article] P. I. Zhuravlev, L. Hu, and G. A. Papoian*, "Computer Simulations of Mechano-Chemical Networks Choreographing Actin Dynamics in Cell Motility"; Contributed Book Chapter in "Computational Modeling of Biological Systems: From Molecules to Pathways", Publisher: Springer, edited by N. Dokholyan; 2012, ISBN-10: 1461421454 [Publisher's Site][Amazon] A. Savelyev, C. K. Materese and G. A. Papoian*, "Is DNA's rigidity dominated by electrostatic or nonelectrostatic interactions?"; J. Am. Chem. Soc.; 2011, 133, 19290–19293 [Article PDF] P. I. Zhuravlev and G. A. Papoian*, "Protein fluxes along the filopodium as a framework for understanding the growth-retraction dynamics: The interplay between diffusion and active transport"; Cell Adhesion & Migration; 2011, 5, 448–456 [Article][Article PDF] (Note: Special Issue on Filopodia- This article has a review section summarizing our recent works on modeling filopodia) L. Hu and G. A. Papoian*, "How does the Antagonism Between Capping and Anti-Capping Proteins Control Actin Network Dynamics?"; J. Phys.: Condens. Matter (Special Issue on "Cooperative dynamics in cells)"; 2011, 23, 374101 [Article PDF] M. Minakova, A. Savelyev and G. A. Papoian*, "Non-equilibrium Water Transport in a Nonionic Microemulsion System"; J. Phys. Chem. B.; 2011, 115, 6503-6508 [Article PDF] D. A. Potoyan and G. A. Papoian*, "Energy Landscape Analyses of Disordered Histone Tails Reveal Special Organization of Their Conformational Dynamics"; J. Am. Chem. Soc.; 2011,133,7405-7415 [Article PDF]