Oxford University, Structural Bioinformatics & Computational Biochemistry Unit

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Craig Lumb

Structural Bioinformatics and Computational Biochemistry Unit Department of Biochemistry University of Oxford South Parks Road Oxford OX1 3QU UK Telephone: 01865 613304 Fax: 01865 613238 e-mail: craig.lumb@bioch.ox.ac.uk

Computational studies of signalling at the cell membrane
Background
I read Natural Sciences at St. John's College, Cambridge between October 2004 and June 2008. For my undergraduate research project in my final year I worked with Dr Mark Miller in the Theory Sector of the Department of Chemistry, using molecular dynamics simulations to study the behaviour and topological characteristics of low density dipolar colloidal gels. In October 2008 I moved to Merton College, Oxford for a DPhil with Professor Mark Sansom in the Structural Bioinformatics and Computational Biochemistry Unit, supported by the Medical Research Council. I successfully defended my DPhil thesis in October 2012.
Research
Cell signalling pathways are crucial for many biological processes including cell proliferation and survival. Signalling is governed by a complex network of interactions within the cell, and disruption of signalling can lead to a variety of human diseases such as cancer. Often, a key event in the signalling cascade is the reversible recruitment of peripheral membrane proteins to the surface of the cytoplasmic leaflet of the cell membrane. These proteins have a variety of functions at the membrane surface and are involved in membrane-mediated protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions essential for subsequent downstream signalling. Protein-membrane association is achieved with the aid of a comparatively rare class of negatively charged lipids called the phosphoinositides (PIs), which are thought to recruit cytosolic proteins to the membrane through electrostatic interactions. We are currently studying several of these PI-binding proteins using a variety of modelling and simulation techniques in an effort to understand how they interact with the membrane. We also collaborate with a number of experimental research groups in the UK and in the USA: Professor Tatiana Kutateladze - University of Colorado School of Medicine Professor Rob Stahelin - Indiana University School of Medicine and University of Notre Dame Dr Rob Gilbert - Division of Structural Biology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford Professor David Calderwood - Yale University School of Medicine
Publications
Craig N. Lumb and Mark S. P. Sansom Defining the membrane associated state of the PTEN tumor suppressor protein Biophysical Journal (2013) 104 613-621 Luke A. Yates, Craig N. Lumb, Nina N. Brahme, Ruta Zalyte, Louise E. Bird, Luigi De Colibus, Raymond J. Owens, David A. Calderwood, Mark S. P. Sansom and Robert J. C. Gilbert Structural and functional characterisation of the kindlin-1 pleckstrin homology domain Journal of Biological Chemistry (2012) 287 43246-43261 Craig N. Lumb and Mark S.P. Sansom Finding a needle in a haystack: The role of electrostatics in target lipid recognition by PH domains PLoS Computational Biology (2012) 8 e1002617 Mostyn T. Brown, Bradley C. Steel, Claudio Silvestrin, David A. Wilkinson, Nicolas J. Delalez, Craig N. Lumb, Boguslaw Obara, Judith P. Armitage and Richard M. Berry Flagellar hook flexibility is essential for bundle formation in swimming Escherichia coli cells Journal of Bacteriology (2012) 194 3495-3501 Craig N. Lumb, Ju He, Yi Xue, Phillip J. Stansfeld, Robert V. Stahelin, Tatiana G. Kutateladze and Mark S.P. Sansom Biophysical and computational studies of membrane penetration by the GRP1 pleckstrin homology domain Structure (2011) 19 1338-1346 Mark A. Miller, Ronald Blaak, Craig N. Lumb and Jean-Pierre Hansen Dynamical arrest in low density dipolar colloidal gels Journal of Chemical Physics (2009) 130 114507 Or search publications using A copy of my DPhil thesis has been deposited in the Oxford University Research Archive.
Conference Presentations
Craig N. Lumb and Mark S.P. Sansom Molecular simulations of the membrane-associated state of the PTEN tumour-suppressor protein Biophysical Society 56^th Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA - Talk Craig N. Lumb, Phillip J. Stansfeld and Mark S.P. Sansom Assessing the extent of membrane penetration by the pleckstrin homology domain of GRP1: Insights from molecular dynamics simulations Biophysical Society 55^th Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD - Poster

Last updated 07/09/11