Molecular basis of protein-ligand interactions.

该研究计划的长期目标是了解蛋白质-配体相互作用的分子机制和功能后果。我们对与金属离子和/或其他蛋白质相互作用的蛋白质特别感兴趣，因为我们对蛋白质如何识别这些配体的理解仍然存在重要差距。病毒蛋白特别适合于这些研究，因为单个蛋白质通常具有许多不同的酶活性，因此可以与各种配体相互作用。在目前的研究计划中，我们专注于丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）的NS 5A蛋白。我们相信，了解NS 5A的功能可以提高对HCV感染和病毒传播的认识。

The long-term objective of this research program is to understand the molecular mechanisms and functional consequences of proteins-ligand interactions. We are especially interested in proteins that interact with metal ions and/or other proteins because there are still important gaps in our understanding of how proteins recognize these ligands. Viral proteins are especially well suited for these studies because a single protein frequently harbors many different enzymatic activities and can therefore interact with various ligands. In the current research program, we are focusing on the NS5A protein from the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). We believe that understanding the functions of NS5A could lead to an improved knowledge of HCV infection and viral propagation.