It is now commonly recognized that proteins (like genes, RNA or any other intracellular molecule) do not function in isolation within the cell. Instead, they participate in highly organized intracellular networks. Recent investigations have provided important insights into the structure of these molecular networks in various cell types.
The aim of our studies is to investigate the topology of protein interaction networks in mammalian cells. Furthermore, we want to understand how information is relayed through these networks in the form of post-translational modifications, changes in activity and intracellular relocalization.
We are using affinity purification approaches to isolate protein complexes, coupled with electrophoresis and mass spectrometry to separate and identify their components, respectively. Non-denaturing methods are being used to study protein interactions in a non-binary manner along with mass spectrometry to identify post-translational modifications.