Structural Dynamics of RNA-Binding Proteins in Biomolecular Condensates

• Applicant: Dr. Christian Felipe Pantoja Rivillas
• Subject Area: Biophysics ; Structural Biology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 556451152

Biomolecular condensates play an essential role in cell organization and function. Primarily constituted by RNA binding proteins (RBPs) and RNA, biomolecular condensates can remodel the conformational landscape of recruited molecules. However, atomic-level characterization of the biomolecule changes induced by condensate conditions remains challenging. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has emerged as a powerful method capable of providing such a characterization. The current proposal takes a novel approach to study the structural and dynamical changes of a representative RBP (CPEB1), involved in RNA silencing and found in stress granules (SGs), a cytoplasmatic condensate. Applying recently developed NMR methods based on methyl groups and paramagnetic probes, I will explore the local (atomic-level) and global (domain-level) reconfiguration of CPEB1 under in-vitro reconstituted condensate conditions. With this proposal, I aim to provide novel insights into the potential implications that conformational changes of RBPs inside condensates could have on their RNA recognition functions.

• DFG Programme: WBP Fellowship
• International Connection: Canada
• Host: Professor Lewis Kay, Ph.D.