Molecular Biophysics

The research in the Molecular Biophysics lab ranges from molecular to systems size levels. In particular, we study the structure and mechanics of viral capsids, their interaction with host cell molecules and the mechanisms of nanoparticle self-assembly. Viral assembly and genome-capsid interactions are closely related and for many viruses assembly is crucially dependent on the encapsulated cargo. We study this assembly and the related cargo-capsid interactions with various biophysical techniques, including (high-speed) atomic force microscopy, optical tweezers and fluorescence microscopy.

In addition we study the structure and dynamics of liposomes and extracellular vesicles. These latter vesicles have recently become under intense scrutiny for their role in inter-cellular communication as well as for their potential as drug carrier vehicle. Our interests in viral and vesicle systems is complemented by research on the mode of action of antibiotics. We address all questions with an interdisciplinary team where people with backgrounds in various disciplines of Life sciences, including physics, chemistry and biology, combine forces to tackle the challenges that come up while elucidating the fascinating mechanisms that govern life processes.

Selection of recent publications

• Yuzhen Feng, Dominik van Bodegraven, Alan Kádek, Ignacio L.B. Munguira, Laura Soria-Martinez, Sarah Nentwich, Sreedeepa Saha, Florian Chardon, Daniel Kavan, Charlotte Uetrecht, Mario Schelhaas, Wouter H. Roos*
  Glycan-induced structural activation softens the human papillomavirus capsid for entry through reduction of intercapsomere flexibility
  Nature Communications, 2024, accepted
• Chris van Ewijk, Fan Xu, Sourav Maity, Jinyu Sheng, Marc. C. A. Stuart, Ben L. Feringa and Wouter H. Roos*
  Light-Triggered Disassembly of Molecular Motor-based Supramolecular Polymers Revealed by High Speed-AFM 
  Angewandte Chemie, 2024, Vol. 63, e202319387
  https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202319387
• Pedro Buzón, Alejandro Velázquez-Cruz, Laura Corrales-Guerrero, Antonio Díaz-Quintana, Irene Díaz-Moreno, Wouter H. Roos*
  The histone chaperones SET/TAF-1β and NPM1 exhibit conserved functionality in nucleosome remodelling and histone eviction in a cytochrome c-dependent manner 
  Advanced Science, 2023, Vol. 10, Issue 29, Art. 2301859
  https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202301859
• Adéla Melcrová, Sourav Maity, Josef Melcr, Niels A. W. de Kok, Mariella Gabler, Jonne van der Eyden, Wenche Stensen, John S. M. Svendsen, Arnold J. M. Driessen, Siewert J. Marrink, Wouter H. Roos*
  Lateral membrane organization as target of an antimicrobial peptidomimetic compound 
  Nature Communications, 2023, Vol. 14, Issue 1, Art. 4038
  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39726-5
• R. Shukla, F. Lavore, S. Maity, M.G.N. Derks, C.R. Jones, B.J.A. Vermeulen, A. Melcrová, M.A. Morris, L. Marie Becker, X. Wang, R. Kumar, J. Medeiros-Silva, R.A.M. van Beekveld, A.M.J.J. Bonvin, J. Lorent, M. Lelli, J. Nowick, H.D. MacGillavry, A.J. Peoples, A.L. Spoering, L.L. Ling, D.E. Hughes, W.H. Roos, E. Breukink, K. Lewis, and M. Weingarth
  Teixobactin kills bacteria by a two-pronged attack on the cell envelope 
  Nature, 2022, Vol. 608, 390–396
  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05019-y
• Sourav Maity, Gianluca Trinco, Pedro Buzón, Zaid R. Anshari, Noriyuki Kodera, Kien Xuan Ngo, Toshio Ando, Dirk J. Slotboom, Wouter H. Roos*
  High Speed-Atomic Force Microscopy reveals a three state elevator-mechanism in the citrate transporter CitS 
  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 2022, 119 (6), e2113927119 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2113927119 
• Pedro Buzón, Sourav Maity, Panagiotis Christodoulis, Monique J. Wiertsema, Steven Dunkelbarger, Christine Kim, Gijs J. Wuite, Adam Zlotnick & Wouter H. Roos*
  Virus self-assembly proceeds through contact-rich energy minima
  Science Advances, 2021, Vol. 7, Issue 45, eabg0811
  https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abg0811
• Robijn F. Bruinsma, Gijs J. L. Wuite, Wouter H. Roos*
  Physics of Viral Dynamics
  Nature Reviews Physics, 2021, 3, 76–91
  https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-020-00267-1
• S. Maity, J. Ottelé, G. Monreal Santiago, P. Frederix, P. Kroon, O. Markovitch, M. Stuart, S. Marrink, S. Otto, W. H. Roos*
  Caught in the Act: Mechanistic insight into Supramolecular Polymerization driven Self-Replication from Real Time Visualization
  J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2020, Vol. 142, Issue 32, 13709–13717
  https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.0c02635
• Alejandro Valbuena, Sourav Maity, Mauricio Mateu, Wouter H. Roos*
  Visualization of Single Molecules Building a Viral Capsid Protein Lattice through Stochastic Pathways
  ACS Nano, 2020, Vol. 14, Issue 7, 8724–8734
  https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.0c03207