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Iain Campbell's Research

The group is interested in the structure and interactions of modular proteins that are involved in a variety of cell adhesion and signalling events. Of particular interest are the proteins involved in the formation of focal adhesions - dynamic assemblies of modular proteins that form and dissolve as cells migrate across a surface
(see e.g. http://www.cellmigration.org/).

Modular proteins currently being studied include fibronectin, integrins, talin, focal adhesion kinase and paxillin. Fibronectin interacts with other extracellular matrix proteins, such as collagen, as well as the key cell surface adhesion receptors, integrins. The adhesion properties of integrins are controlled by various intracellular proteins and their phosphorylation state. Talin is known to be especially important. Our goal is to understand how these various modular proteins assemble and interact.

We work closely with other members of the Department, and International collaborators. The general strategy we use is one of ‘dissection’, where selected regions of proteins are expressed and characterised, their structure determined and their binding sites defined by NMR and/ or other biophysical methods.

The group uses NMR as its major tool and has access to excellent facilities with 500 MHz (2), 600 MHz (2), 750 MHz and 950 MHz spectrometers.
Key Publications

Pickford AR & Campbell ID. (2004)
NMR of modular proteins. Chemical Reviews 104,  3557-65

Campbell ID & Ginsberg MH. (2004)
The talin-tail interaction places integrin activation on FERM ground TIBS 29, 429-435

Vakonakis I et al. (2007)
Intra-domain association in fibronectin: insight into cryptic sites and fibrilogenesis EMBO J 26, 2575-83. 

Wegener KL et al. (2007)
Structural basis of talin activation of integrins. Cell 128, 171-82

Anthis NJ et al. (2009) 
The structure of an integrin/talin complex reveals the basis of inside-out signal transduction. EMBO J 28, 3623-32