I am interested in the structure of biological macromolecules, especially proteins. In order to understand the complex processes that occur in living systems it is essential to know the atomic structures of the macromolecules responsible for the processes. My research covers: the determination of protein structure; examining the physical properties of proteins; and determining the relationship between protein structure and sequence.

X-ray crystallography is being used to determine the structures of several proteins including: molecular chaperones; ion channels; cell receptors; serpins and light harvesting proteins. Computer methods such as molecular dynamics simulations, are being used to determine the mechanical and electrostatic properties of proteins of known structure.

Finally, the relationship between the chemical sequence of a protein and its 3 dimensional structure is one of the major unsolved problems in biophysics. Computer methods are being used to attack this problem. This laboratory is part of the Initiative in Biomolecular Structure (IBiS).

• An analysis of side chain interactions & pair correlations within antiparallel b-sheets: The differences between backbone hydrogen-bonded & non-hydrogen-bonded residue pairs. M.A. Wouters & P.M.G. Curmi, Proteins: Struct.Funct.Genet., 22, 191-131 (1995).
• Formation of the RuBisCO active site by a disorder-order transition from the unactivated to the activated form. H.A. Schreuder, S. Knight, P.M.G. Curmi, I. Andersson, D. Cascio, C-I. Branden & D. Eisenberg, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., 90, 9968-72 (1993).
• Crystal Structure of activated tobacco RuBisCO complexed with the reaction intermediate analogue 2-carboxy-arabinitol-1,5-bisphosphate. H. A. Schreuder, S. Knight, P.M.G. Curmi, I. Andersson, D. Cascio, R.M. Sweet, C-I. Branden & D. Eisenberg, Protein Science, 2, 1136-1146 (1993)
• The crystal structure of diphtheria toxin. S. Choe, M.J. Bennett, G. Fujii, P.M.G. Curmi, K.A. Kantardjieff, R.J. Collier & D. Eisenberg, Nature, 357, 216-222 (1992).

School of Physics
The University of New South Wales
SYDNEY 2052
Australia

p.curmi@unsw.edu.au

61 2 9385 4552

61 2 9385 6060