Physical biology UP

The research group Physical biology consists of four subgroups:

Reactive oxygen species in biological systems

We study the origin of radical and non-radical reactive oxygen species (ROS) inside plant and animal cells. We focus on the mechanism and the site of ROS formation, ROS scavenging by enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, and on the investigation of deleterious effects of ROS on lipids (lipid peroxidation) and proteins (protein oxidation).

Molecular and cellular pharmacology

The main research objective of our group is to increase knowledge and understanding of the mechanisms of biological (antitumor and antibiotic) action of metallodrugs and to use this enhanced knowledge to develop new classes of metallodrugs with truly novel mechanisms of action and novel spectra of biomedical activity.

Structure and function of protein complexes

Our research is focused on the isolation and structural and functional characterization of protein complexes using single-particle (cryo) electron microscopy, electron tomography, and image analysis. We focus our attention mainly on protein supercomplexes involved in photosynthesis in a broad range of organisms, from cyanobacteria, diatoms, brown and green algae to land plants.

Biophysical aspects of plant physiology

We study i) stress- and senescence-induced changes in plant functioning using the measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence in vivo, plant water status, leaf optical properties, and cell membrane stability, ii) electrical signals and their physiological response in the carnivorous plants and Arabidopsis thaliana and iii) various aspects of photosynthesis and its regulation by mathematical modeling.