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   Professor Per Bullough

    Imagine co-ordinator and Professor of Structural Biology

    Department: Molecular Biology & Biotechnology

    Contact: P.Bullough@sheffield.ac.uk

    Phone: +44 (0)114 222 4245
Our laboratory focuses on the challenging area of protein structure at two-dimensional interfaces. Our main technique is high resolution cryoelectron microscopy which we often use to complement other structural techniques such as X-ray crystallography.

Current projects fall under two main headings:

  • Structure and assembly at cell surfaces: bacterial spore assembly, bacterial cell surfaces
  • Energy transduction in membrane systems – photosynthesis, transporters.

Key publications

  •  Jiang S, Wan Q, Krajcikova D, Tang J, Tzokov SB, Barak I, Bullough PA (2015) Diverse supramolecular structures formed by self-assembling proteins of the Bacillus subtilis spore coat. Mol Microbiol. 97(2):347-59.
  • Yamashita M, Shepherd M, Booth WI, Xie H, Postis V, Nyathi Y, Tzokov  SB, Poole RK, Baldwin SA  Bullough PA (2014) Structure and Function of the Bacterial Heterodimeric ABC Transporter CydDC: Stimulation of ATPase Activity by Thiol and Heme Compounds J Bio Chem; 289(33):23177-88.
  • Qian P, Papiz MZ, Jackson PJ, Brindley AA, Ng IW, Olsen JD, Dickman MJ, Bullough PA, Hunter CN (2013) Three-Dimensional structure of the Rhodobacter sphaeroides RC-LH1-PufX Complex: Dimerization and quinone channels promoted by PufX. Biochemistry;52(43):7575-85.
  • Huysmans GH, Chan N, Baldwin JM, Postis VL, Tzokov SB, Deacon SE, Yao SY, Young JD, McPherson MJ, Bullough PA, Baldwin SA (2012) A urea channel from Bacillus cereus reveals a novel hexameric structure. Biochem J.; 445(2):157-66.
  • Kailas L, Terry C, Abbott N, Taylor R, Mullin N, Tzokov SB, Todd SJ, Wallace BA, Hobbs JK, Moir A, Bullough PA (2011) Surface architecture of endospores of the Bacillus cereus/anthracis/thuringiensis family at the subnanometer scale. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A; 108(38):16014-9.
  • Ball DA, Taylor R, Todd SJ, Redmond C, Couture-Tosi E, Sylvestre P, Moir A, Bullough PA(2008) Structure of the exosporium and sublayers of spores of the Bacillus cereus family revealed by electron crystallography Mol. Microbiol.;68(4):947-58.
  • Conroy MJ, Durand A, Lupo D, Li XD, Bullough PA, Winkler FK, Merrick M (2007) The crystal structure of the Escherichia coli AmtB-GlnK complex reveals how GlnK regulates the ammonia channel.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A;104(4):1213-8.
  • Tzokov SB, Wyborn NR, Stillman TJ, Jamieson S, Czudnochowski N, Artymiuk PJ, Green J, Bullough PA.    (2006) Structure of the hemolysin E (HlyE, ClyA, and SheA) channel in its membrane-bound form. J. Biol. Chem;281(32):23042-9.
  • Conroy MJ, Jamieson SJ, Blakey D, Kaufmann T, Engel A, Fotiadis D, Merrick M, Bullough PA (2004) Electron and atomic force microscopy of the trimeric ammonium transporter AmtB. EMBO Reports;5(12):1153-8.
  • Bahatyrova S, Frese RN, Siebert CA, Olsen JD, Van Der Werf KO, Van Grondelle R, Niederman RA, Bullough PA, Otto C, Hunter CN (2004) The native architecture of a photosynthetic membrane. Nature; 430(7003):1058-62.
  • Siebert CA, Qian P, Fotiadis D, Engel A, Hunter CN, Bullough PA (2004) Molecular architecture of photosynthetic membranes in Rhodobacter sphaeroides : the role of PufX EMBO J ;23(4):690-700.
  • Jamieson SJ, Wang P, Qian P, Kirkland JY, Conroy MJ, Hunter CN, Bullough PA (2002) Projection structure of the photosynthetic reaction centre-antenna complex of Rhodospirillum rubrum at 8.5 Å resolution. EMBO J.;21(15):3927-35.
  • Wallace AJ, Stillman TJ, Atkins A, Jamieson SJ, Bullough PA, Green J, Artymiuk PJ (2000) E. coli Hemolysin E (HlyE, ClyA, SheA): X-ray Crystal Structure of the Toxin and Observation of Membrane Pores by Electron Microscopy. Cell; 100(2):265-76.
  •  Karrasch S, Bullough PA, Ghosh R (1995) The 8.5 A projection map of the light harvesting complex of Rhodospirillum rubrum reveals a ring composed of 16 Subunits. EMBO J.;14(4):631-8.
  • Bullough PA, Hughson FM, Skehel JJ, Wiley DC (1994) The structure of influenza haemagglutinin at the pH of membrane fusion. Nature; 371(6492):37-43.

Imagine team

Prof Simon Foster
Prof Jamie Hobbs
Dr Ashley Cadby
Dr Ling Chin Hwang
Dr Egbert Hoiczyk
Dr Nicolas Olivier
Dr William Durham
Dr Buddhapriya Chakrabarti
Dr Christa Walther
Dr Nic Mullin
Dr Moumita Dutta