John Gergely, M.D., Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Biochemistry and physical chemistry of proteins. Mechanism of muscle contraction and its regulation.
Email: gergely at bbri.org

Research Summary
In recent years my research has been focused on the molecular mechanism of the Ca2+ -dependent regulation of striated muscle contraction involving interactions among the three subunits of troponin (TnC, TnI nd TnT), tropomyosin and actin. TnC is the receptor for Ca2+, the level of which is increased on activation of a muscle. Conformational changes are probed by crosslinking techniques in combination with limited enzymatic proteolysis. Optical and spin probes are used to detect changes in the motional properties of these proteins. Site directed mutagenesis serves to create locations for placement of such probes and to identify regions of functional significance.

Selected Publications
Luo, Y., Li, B., Yang, G.A., Gergely, J. and Tao, T., Crosslinking between the Regulatory Regions of Troponin I and Troponin C Abolishes the Inhibitory Function of Troponin, Biochemistry 41, 12891-12898, 2002.

Luo, Y. Leszyk, J., Li, B., Li. Z., Gergely, J. and Tao.T., Troponin I Interacts with the MET47 Region of Skeletal Muscle Actin. Implications for the Mechanism of Thin Filament Regulation by Calcium, J. Mol. Biol. 316, 429-434, 2002.

Li, Z., Gergely, J. and Tao. T., Proximity Relationships between Residue 117 of Rabbit Skeletal Troponin I and Residues in Tropnin C and Actin, Biophysical J. 81, 321-333, 2001.

Luo, Y., Leszyk, J., Li, B., Gergely, J. and Tao, T., Proximity Relationships between Residue 6 of Troponin I and Residues in Troponin C: Further Evidence for Extended Conformation of Troponin C in the Troponin Complex, Biochemistry 39, 15306-15315, 2000.

Luo, Y., Wu, J-L., Li, B., Langsetmo, K., Gergely, J. and Tao, T., Photocrosslinking of Benzophenone-labeled Single Cysteine Troponin I Mutants to Other Thin Filament Proteins, J. Mol. Biol. 296, 899-910.,2000.

PubMed:
Click here for a list of publications (searches the National Library of Medicine's PubMed database.)