Edward H. Egelman

About

Edward H. Egelman is a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He holds a BA in Physics and a PhD in Biophysics from Brandeis University, and completed postdoctoral training in Biophysics at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK. His research focuses on the structure and function of macromolecular assemblies, utilizing electron cryo-microscopy and three-dimensional reconstruction techniques. His work has historically concentrated on protein-DNA complexes and F-actin, with recent advancements enabling near-atomic resolution of many filamentous biological assemblies. Egelman's research explores themes such as the lability of quaternary structures, the impact of small sequence changes on protein assembly and evolution, and the extraordinary conservation of actin sequences over hundreds of millions of years. His studies have provided insights into how minor sequence variations can lead to significant structural and functional divergence, and how extensive allosteric networks within actin contribute to its remarkable properties. His contributions have advanced understanding of macromolecular complex architecture and dynamics, with implications for evolutionary biology and cellular function.

Research topics

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Biophysics
• Biochemistry
• Genetics
• Cell biology
• Evolutionary biology
• Anatomy
• Polymer chemistry
• Neuroscience

Selected publications

• Cryo-EM structure of an extracellular Geobacter OmcE cytochrome filament reveals tetrahaem packing

  Nature Microbiology · 2022 · 114 citations

  DOI

• Mating pair stabilization mediates bacterial conjugation species specificity

  Nature Microbiology · 2022 · 101 citations

  interacts with OmpK36 through the insertion of a β-hairpin in the tip of TraN into a monomer of the OmpK36 porin trimer. Combining bioinformatic analysis with AlphaFold structural predictions, we identified a fourth TraN structural variant that mediates mating pair stabilization by binding OmpF. Accordingly, we devised a classification scheme for TraN homologues on the basis of structural similarity and their associated receptors: TraNα (OmpW), TraNβ (OmpK36), TraNγ (OmpA), TraNδ (OmpF). These T…

  DOI

• Artificial Intracellular Filaments

  Cell Reports Physical Science · 2020 · 73 citations

  formation of self-limiting intracellular filaments of a small peptide via enzymatic morphological transition of a phosphorylated and trimethylated heterochiral tetrapeptide. Enzymatic dephosphorylation reduces repulsive intermolecular electrostatic interactions and converts the peptidic nanoparticles into filaments, which exhibit distinct types of cross-β structures with either C7 or C2 symmetries, with the hydrophilic C-terminal residues at the periphery of the helix. Macromolecular crowding pr…

  DOI

• Osteogenesis imperfecta mutations in plastin 3 lead to impaired calcium regulation of actin bundling

  Bone Research · 2020 · 37 citations

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  DOI

• The structure of helical lipoprotein lipase reveals an unexpected twist in lipase storage

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2020 · 36 citations

  Lipases are enzymes necessary for the proper distribution and utilization of lipids in the human body. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is active in capillaries, where it plays a crucial role in preventing dyslipidemia by hydrolyzing triglycerides from packaged lipoproteins. Thirty years ago, the existence of a condensed and inactive LPL oligomer was proposed. Although recent work has shed light on the structure of the LPL monomer, the inactive oligomer remained opaque. Here we present a cryo-EM reconst…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01GM081303

  NIH · $3.6M · 2019

• NIH Grant R01EB001567

  NIH · $3.6M · 2016

• NIH Grant S10OD018149

  NIH · $500k · 2015

Frequent coauthors

• Albina Orlova

  University of Virginia

  93 shared

• Xiong Yu

  Guiyang Medical University

  89 shared

• Fengbin Wang

  University of Alabama at Birmingham

  67 shared

• Vitold E. Galkin

  Eastern Virginia Medical School

  65 shared

• Mart Krupovìč

  Institut Pasteur

  53 shared

• Virginija Cvirkaitė‐Krupovič

  Institut Pasteur

  38 shared

• Emil Reisler

  University of California, Los Angeles

  35 shared

• Weili Zheng

  University of Virginia

  29 shared

Education

• Postdoc

  MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

  1984

• Ph.D.

  Brandeis University

  1982

Similar researchers at University of Virginia

• Kevin R. Lynchh-87
• Ani W. Manichaikulh-81
• P. Todd Stukenbergh-64