My research group has a long-standing interest in how molecular encounters outside the cell are translated into intracellular biochemical signals that direct immune responses.
The now-classic example of peptide:MHC complexes binding to the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) to activate T cells has been a major focus in previous work.
While the structural determinants of MHC/TCR binding, and the construction of the TCR complex are becoming better understood, the mechanism by which receptor engagement outside the cell is sensed by signaling molecules inside the cell is still an open question.
The new challenge is to understand the forces and motions linking the receptor-ligand encounter to the initiation of an intracellular biochemical signal through receptors for antigens, chemokines and other molecular cues.
I have a particular focus on how the structure and dynamics of membrane-embedded receptor domains contribute to the function of immune-signaling complexes. These portions of proteins are not mere anchors for soluble domains, but in fact provide a unique platform for protein function. They also represent the only direct physical link between ligand-binding and signaling domains across the cellular membrane.
My lab combines biochemical and biophysical methods (both X-ray crystallography and solution NMR) with expertise in cellular and molecular immunology to study the mechanics of transmembrane signaling in the immune system.
We aim to understand both how ligand binding is mechanically communicated across the lipid bilayer and how the unique physical and chemical characteristics of the membrane environment contribute to and regulate these functions.
www.wehi.edu.au/people/melissa-call
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FEATURED Journal article
MARCH5 requires MTCH2 to coordinate proteasomal turnover of the MCL1:NOXA complex
Read moreMelissa Call's selected work
Novel drivers and modifiers of MPL-dependent oncogenic transformation identified by deep m..
Journal article
The serial millisecond crystallography instrument at the Australian Synchrotron incorporat..
Journal article
Protein-Eye View of the in Meso Crystallization Mechanism
Journal article
A serine in the first transmembrane domain of the human E3 ubiquitin ligase MARCH9 is crit..
Journal article
Structural Conservation and Effects of Alterations in T Cell Receptor Transmembrane Interf..
Journal article
Transferrin receptor 1 is a reticulocyte-specific receptor for Plasmodium vivax
Journal article
Melissa Call's selected work
Scholarly Works
Displaying the 32 most recent scholarly works by Melissa Call.
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Honours, Awards and Fellowships
Credentials
Positions
Positions
Honorary
Medical Biology (W.E.H.I.)
Education
Education
PhD in Molecular Medicine
University of Auckland
MSc in Medical Science
University of Auckland
BSc in Biological Sciences
University of Auckland