Linda Columbus

Last updated
Linda Marie Columbus
Education Scripps Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles
Smith College
Awards NSF CAREER Award, Cottrell Scholar Award, Virginia Outstanding Faculty Awarda
Scientific career
Institutions Scripps Research Institute, University of Virginia
Thesis Investigating backbone and side chain dynamics of alpha-helices in the nanosecond regime with site-directed spin labeling  (2001)
Website Columbus Lab

Linda Columbus is an American chemist who is Professor of Chemistry and Molecular Physiology at the University of Virginia. Her research considers the structure-function properties of membrane proteins.

Contents

Early life and education

Columbus was born to young parents, neither of whom were educated beyond high school, and grew up in New Hampshire. [1] Columbus was an undergraduate student at Smith College and moved to the University of California, Los Angeles, for graduate research. [2] Her doctoral research with Prof. Wayne L. Hubbell involved the use of spin labelling to understand the backbone and side chain dynamics of α-helices in the nanosecond regime. [3] After earning her doctorate, Columbus joined The Scripps Research Institute as an NIH research fellow. [4]

Research and career

In 2013, Columbus joined the University of Virginia as an assistant professor. [1] She was promoted to full professor in 2019.[ citation needed ] She studies the membrane proteins that comprise around one quarter of a proteome. These membrane proteins are involved with information transfer across lipid bilayers, and are used as drug targets. [5] Columbus investigates the membrane proteins that mediate interactions between hosts and bacterial pathogens. [4] [6] To study the structures of the membrane proteins involved in cellular invasion by bacterial pathogens, Columbus makes use of site-directed spin labelling and nuclear magnetic resonance. [4] [7]

Awards and honors

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpha helix</span> Type of secondary structure of proteins

An alpha helix is a sequence of amino acids in a protein that are twisted into a coil.

Site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) is a technique for investigating the structure and local dynamics of proteins using electron spin resonance. The theory of SDSL is based on the specific reaction of spin labels with amino acids. A spin label's built-in protein structure can be detected by EPR spectroscopy. SDSL is also a useful tool in examinations of the protein folding process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry</span> Research institute

The Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, also known as the Karl-Friedrich Bonhoeffer Institute, was a research institute of the Max Planck Society, located in Göttingen, Germany. On January 1, 2022, the institute merged with the Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine in Göttingen to form the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molecular biophysics</span> Interdisciplinary research area

Molecular biophysics is a rapidly evolving interdisciplinary area of research that combines concepts in physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and biology. It seeks to understand biomolecular systems and explain biological function in terms of molecular structure, structural organization, and dynamic behaviour at various levels of complexity. This discipline covers topics such as the measurement of molecular forces, molecular associations, allosteric interactions, Brownian motion, and cable theory. Additional areas of study can be found on Outline of Biophysics. The discipline has required development of specialized equipment and procedures capable of imaging and manipulating minute living structures, as well as novel experimental approaches.

Wayne L. Hubbell is an American biochemist and member of the National Academy of Sciences. He is Professor of Biochemistry and Jules Stein Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research focuses on the visual system, and is primarily supported by a grant from the National Eye Institute.

David S. Cafiso is an American biochemist and a professor of chemistry at the University of Virginia. His research focuses on membrane proteins and cell signaling, and is primarily supported by grants from the National Institute of Health.

Harden M. McConnell was an American physical chemist. His many awards included the National Medal of Science and the Wolf Prize, and he was elected to the National Academy of Science."

Protein–lipid interaction is the influence of membrane proteins on the lipid physical state or vice versa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protein dynamics</span> Study of how proteins move and change shape

In molecular biology, proteins are generally thought to adopt unique structures determined by their amino acid sequences. However, proteins are not strictly static objects, but rather populate ensembles of conformations. Transitions between these states occur on a variety of length scales and time scales , and have been linked to functionally relevant phenomena such as allosteric signaling and enzyme catalysis.

Michael F. Brown is an American chemist. Since 1987, he has been a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Arizona, and since 2003 has held joint appointments as a Professor of Physics and Professor of Applied Mathematics. Prior to the University of Arizona, Brown earned tenure at the University of Virginia. His research involves the application of NMR spectroscopy and other biophysical methods to study membrane lipids, liquid crystals, and membrane proteins. Brown has particularly been a pioneer in the application of solid-state NMR spectroscopy to the study of lipid bilayer dynamics.

Stephen H. White is an American Biophysicist, academic, and author. He is a Professor Emeritus of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of California, Irvine.

Karen Renee Gibson Fleming is a Professor of Biophysics at Johns Hopkins University. She investigates the energetics of transmembrane helix-helix interactions. Fleming was awarded the 2020 Protein Society Carl Brändén Award.

Suzana K. Straus is a Canadian chemist who is a professor at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on host defense peptides (HDPs), as well as protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions.

Christy F. Landes is an American physical chemist who is the Jerry A. Walker Endowed Chair in chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She previously was the Kenneth S. Pitzer-Schlumberger Chair at Rice University. She seeks to understand the structure-function relationships in biological processes and materials. She was appointed a National Academy of Sciences Kavli Fellow in 2019.

Nikta Fakhri is an Iranian-American physicist who is the Thomas D. & Virginia W. Cabot Career Development Associate Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research considers non-equilibrium physics in living systems. She was awarded the 2022 American Physical Society Early Career Award for Soft Matter Research.

Bonnie Ann Wallace, FRSC is a British and American biophysicist and biochemist. She is a professor of molecular biophysics in the department of biological sciences, formerly the department of crystallography, at Birkbeck College, University of London, U.K.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Songi Han</span> American chemist and academic

Songi Han is an American chemist who is a professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry at Northwestern University. Her research considers electron and nuclear spins as sensors and detectors. She was elected a Fellow of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in 2019 and president of the International EPR Society in 2020.

Enrica Bordignon is an Italian chemist and Chair of Electron Spin Resonance at the University of Geneva. Her research involves the development of electron paramagnetic resonance to study membrane potentials.

Deborah Kuchnir Fygenson is an American biophysicist who is a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is interested in the physics of soft matter, and how DNA origami can be used to position spin centres for quantum technologies.

References

  1. 1 2 "Linda Columbus". The Biophysical Society. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  2. "Our People". Columbus Lab. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  3. Columbus, Linda Marie (2001). Investigating backbone and side chain dynamics of [alpha]-helices in the nanosecond regime with site-directed spin labeling. OCLC   732921756.
  4. 1 2 3 "Department of Chemistry". chemistry.as.virginia.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  5. "Dr. Linda Columbus, University of Virginia". chemistry.umbc.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  6. "World Changers: Faculty members receive Commonwealth's highest honor". Virginia Magazine. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  7. "RESEARCH". Columbus Lab. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  8. "NSF Award Search: Award # 0845668 - CAREER: An Innovative Study of Membrane Protein - Detergent Interactions". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  9. Advancement, Research Corporation for Science. "CSC Awards". Research Corporation for Science Advancement. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  10. "CMCP Linda Columbus has received the 2014 Outstanding Faculty Award". Center for Membrane and Cell Physiology. 2014-01-24. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  11. "Past Council | Biophysical Society". www.biophysics.org. Retrieved 2022-04-20.