Speakers

Dietmar Manstein

Dietmar Manstein

Hannover Medical School, Germany

http://www.mh-hannover.de

Since 2002 Dr. Dietmar Manstein is Professor and Chair of the Institute for Biophysical Chemistry at Hannover Medical School in Hannover, Germany. The objective of his work is the characterization of molecular motors and proteins that regulate dynamic changes of cytoskeletal and membranous structures. His experiments address the role of isoform-specific differences, disease-causing mutations, and drugs by integrating information derived from examining contractile events at several levels of organization. At the single molecule level, the work examines the basic design and function of the molecular motors, actin filaments, and regulatory proteins using highly-sensitive and fast techniques to follow chemical, spectroscopic, and mechanical changes. These studies are usually combined with protein engineering and high-resolution structural analyses. The determination of three-dimensional structures of bio-macromolecules and their complexes with small ligands is performed using X-ray crystallography. The results of these measurements provide insights into the catalytic mechanism of enzymes, the mode of action of small-molecule effectors, and support the development of therapeutic drugs. Hybrid approaches, which combine analysis by X-ray crystallography with cryo-electron microscopy or the analysis of hydrodynamic properties, are used to solve the structures of larger protein complexes. Here, the results can provide insights into long-range communication pathways, regulatory mechanisms, and the effects of disease causing mutations. At the level of isolated cells, his research program uses the information gained from kinetic and structural studies, to address the role of specific contractile proteins in supporting motile functions and the potential of small ligands as therapeutic drugs.