The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

Professor Ray Norton

Details

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Division: Structural Biology

Research Overview

We are interested in what proteins look like, how they work, and how we can use that information to design inhibitors or analogues with potential applications in human medicine. We use nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and a range of other biophysical and biochemical techniques to determine protein structures as a means of understanding how they function, as well as how they interact with key binding partners in the cell. Prospective Student Projects for 2010 - 1, 2, 3

Research Projects

Structure and interactions of SOCS3

Structure and interactions of SSB-2

Structures and interactions of malaria vaccine candidates

Pharmacologically Active Toxins: Chronic Pain and Multiple Sclerosi

Major Publications

1. Harris KS, Casey JL, Coley AM, Karas JA, Sabo JK, Tan YY, Dolezal O, Norton RS, Hughes AB, Scanlon D, Foley M.
   Rapid optimization of a peptide inhibitor of malaria parasite invasion by comprehensive N-methyl scanning.
   J Biol Chem. 2009 Jan 21; [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 19164290 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
2. Kuang Z, Yao S, Xu Y, Lewis RS, Low A, Masters SL, Willson TA, Kolesnik TB, Nicholson SE, Garrett TJ, Norton RS.
   SPRY domain-containing SOCS box protein 2: crystal structure and residues critical for protein binding.
   J Mol Biol. 2009 Feb 27;386(3):662-74 PMID: 19154741 [PubMed - in process]
3. Babon JJ, Sabo JK, Soetopo A, Yao S, Bailey MF, Zhang JG, Nicola NA, Norton RS.
   The SOCS box domain of SOCS3: structure and interaction with the elonginBC-cullin5 ubiquitin ligase.
   J Mol Biol. 2008 Sep 12;381(4):928-40 PMID: 18590740 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
4. Zhang X, Perugini MA, Yao S, Adda CG, Murphy VJ, Low A, Anders RF, Norton RS.
   Solution conformation, backbone dynamics and lipid interactions of the intrinsically unstructured malaria surface protein MSP2.
   J Mol Biol. 2008 May 23;379(1):105-21 PMID: 18440022 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
5. Beeton C, Smith BJ, Sabo JK, Crossley G, Nugent D, Khaytin I, Chi V, Chandy KG, Pennington MW, Norton RS.
   The D-diastereomer of ShK toxin selectively blocks voltage-gated K+ channels and inhibits T lymphocyte proliferation.
   J Biol Chem. 2008 Jan 11;283(2):988-97 PMID: 17984097 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
6. Ellison M, Feng ZP, Park AJ, Zhang X, Olivera BM, McIntosh JM, Norton RS.
   RgIA, a novel conotoxin that blocks the 910 nAChR: structure and identification of key receptor-binding residues.
   J Mol Biol. 2008 Apr 4;377(4):1216-27 PMID: 18295795 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
7. Buczek O, Wei D, Babon JJ, Yang X, Fiedler B, Chen P, Yoshikami D, Olivera BM, Bulaj G, Norton RS.
   Structure and sodium channel activity of an excitatory I1-superfamily conotoxin.
   Biochemistry. 2007 Sep 4;46(35):9929-40 PMID: 17696362 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
8. Kuang Z, Yao S, McNeil KA, Thompson JA, Bach LA, Forbes BE, Wallace JC, Norton RS.
   Cooperativity of the N- and C-terminal domains of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein 2 in IGF binding.
   Biochemistry. 2007 Dec 4;46(48):13720-32 PMID: 17985932 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
9. Masters SL, Yao S, Willson TA, Zhang JG, Palmer KR, Smith BJ, Babon JJ, Nicola NA, Norton RS, Nicholson SE.
   The SPRY domain of SSB-2 adopts a novel fold that presents conserved Par-4-binding residues.
   Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2006 Jan;13(1):77-84 PMID: 16369487 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
10. Babon JJ, McManus EJ, Yao S, DeSouza DP, Mielke LA, Sprigg NS, Willson TA, Hilton DJ, Nicola NA, Baca M, Nicholson SE, Norton RS.
    The structure of SOCS3 reveals the basis of the extended SH2 domain function and identifies an unstructured insertion that regulates stability.
    Mol Cell. 2006 Apr 21;22(2):205-16 PMID: 16630890 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Current Laboratory Members

Faculty Member: Ray Norton, BSc(Hons) Melb PhD ANU

Senior Postdoctoral Fellow: Jeff Babon, BSc(Hons) PhD Melb

Senior Postdoctoral Fellow: Charles Galea, MSc PhD Qld

Senior Postdoctoral Fellow: Shenggen Yao, MSc East China Normal University, Shanghai, China PhD UNSW

Postdoctoral Fellow: Indu Chandrashekaran, MSc Mahatma Gandhi PhD Jawaharal Nehru

Postdoctoral Fellow: Zhihe Kuang, BSc MSc Sun Yat-sen PhD Adelaide

Postdoctoral Fellow: Andrew Low, BSc(Hons) PhD Murdoch

Postdoctoral Fellow: Christopher MacRaild, BSc(Hons) PhD Melb

Research Assistant: Artem Laktyushin, BSc(Hons) LaT

Postgraduate Student: Keith Khoo, BBiomedSc Melb

Undergraduate Student: Imogen Hartley, BSc Melb

Undergraduate Student: Dylan Saunders, BA BSc Deakin