Structural Plasticity of Metamorphic Proteins

PLASTIMORF leverages cutting-edge structural, orthogonal and translational techniques to unravel mechanisms behind protein structural changes that lead to a prion-like gain-of-function (Structural Biology of Prionoids). We study metamorphic proteins that defy AI-based structural prediction methods. Such proteins adopt alternative conformations in response to specific stimuli, leading to multimerization into biomolecular condensates or amyloid aggregates. This high-order assembly is well established as a key molecular event triggering cellular degeneration in protein misfolding diseases, but is also involved in functional responses in the cell. Therefore, protein aggregation into multimeric platforms can be viewed as an evolutive adaptation mechanism to various stressors.