Physics Colloquium: Deep Life, Extreme Biophysics, and the Remarkable Proteome-Wide Effect of Pressure on Biomolecules

Physics Colloquium
Deep Life, Extreme Biophysics, and the Remarkable Proteome-Wide Effect of Pressure on Biomolecules

Dr. Richard Gillilan
Visiting Scientist, Cornell High Energy Synchotron Source
Cornell University      

Abstract:
The discovery of vast microbial populations in the deep ocean and in the Earth’s subsurface has generated new interest in the effects of hydrostatic pressure on biomolecules in range 40-100 MPa. Further, the discovery of deep subsurface oceans on several moons within our solar system opens the possibility that life could exist in many places under significant pressure. The extent of pressure-induced change on the whole proteome of an organism has never been measured. We introduce high pressure limited proteolysis (Hi-P LiP), a new “structural omics” technique that identifies subtle conformational changes across whole proteomes at the residue level under pressure. The effects on our first measured proteome (T. themophilus) are surprisingly profound: >39% of proteins are altered by deep ocean pressure. Many highly charged cofactors are prevalent in this set, suggesting that the contraction of bulk water around charged sites may be a key factor for physiology in the deep biosphere. The capacity of Hi-P LiP to reveal networks of pressure-sensitive sites coupled to enzyme binding pockets offers a unique new window into protein function relevant to life under extreme conditions.

Speaker Bio:
Richard Gillilan completed his Ph.D. in chemistry under William P. Reinhardt at University of Pennsylvania and went on to do postdoctoral work at Cornell and at UCSD. In 1992, he joined the Cornell Theory Center to specialize in computational science and virtual reality. In 2000, Richard moved to the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) where he created the now internationally recognized small-angle X-ray solution scattering (BioSAXS) facility. In 2018, he started a novel high-pressure biological scattering facility (HP-Bio), now in its 6th year of operation. In 2021, Richard was elected a Fellow of the American Crystallographic Association for his contributions to the field. He is currently a visiting scientist based at Cornell perusing new areas of research while serving as an advisor to the next generation of CHESS scientists.

Intended Audience:
All are Welcome!

To request an interpreter, please visit myaccess.rit.edu