Research Goal
We employ high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), in combination with functional experiments, to uncover the structure and mechanism of action of macromolecular protein complexes involved in human disease. The goal of our research is to open new therapeutic avenues by understanding the role of these protein complexes in pathogenesis.
Group members
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Iban Ubarretxena
Director of IBF and FBB | Distinguished University Researcher | Ikerbasque Research Professor | Scientific Director BREM -
Jorge Pedro López Alonso
Cryo-EM Specialist -
Javier Cifuente
Postdoctoral Fellow -
Borja Ochoa de Eribe Lizarralde
Protein Biochemistry Specialist -
Alberto González Berruezo
PhD Student -
Jesús Vilchez
Postdoctoral fellow
Publications
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Structural insights into a conserved mechanism of choline translocation through CHT
Sci Adv. 2026 May 29;12(22):eaec1241. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aec1241. -
A resurrected ancestor of Cas12a expands target access and substrate recognition for nucleic acid editing and detection
Nat Biotechnol. 2025 Oct;43(10):1663-1672. doi: 10.1038/s41587-024-02461-3. Epub 2024 Oct 31. PMID: 39482449. -
The minimal chemotactic cell
Sci Adv. 2025 Jul 25;11(30):eadx9364. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adx9364. Epub 2025 Jul 25. PMID: 40712034; PMCID: PMC12292904. -
Structural Basis for Amyloid Fibril Assembly by the Master Cell-Signaling Regulator Receptor-Interacting Protein Kinase 1
Nat Commun. 2025 Oct 30;16(1):9607. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-64621-6. PMID: 41168207; PMCID: PMC12575786. -
A resurrected ancestor of Cas12a expands target access and substrate recognition for nucleic-acid editing and detection
Nat Biotechnol. 2024 Oct 31. doi: 10.1038/s41587-024-02461-3. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39482449. -
Purification of functional recombinant human mitochondrial Hsp60
Methods Enzymol. 2024;707:423-440. doi: 10.1016/bs.mie.2024.07.049. Epub 2024 Aug 31. PMID: 39488385. -
Structural basis for regulation of a CBASS-CRISPR-Cas defense island by a transmembrane anti-σ factor and its ECF σ partner
Sci Adv. 2024 Oct 25;10(43):eadp1053. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adp1053. Epub 2024 Oct 25. PMID: 39454004; PMCID: PMC11506125. -
Cryo-EM structure of Rev1-Polζ holocomplex reveals the mechanism of their cooperativity in translesion DNA synthesis
Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2024 May 8. doi: 10.1038/s41594-024-01302-w. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38720088. -
Structural and functional insights into the delivery of a bacterial Rhs pore-forming toxin to the membrane.
Nat Commun 14, 7808 (2023). Doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-43585-5 -
Cyclic di-AMP traps proton-coupled K+ transporters of the KUP family in an inward-occluded conformation
Nature Communications volume 14, Article number: 3683 (2023) -
Cryo-EM structure of translesion DNA synthesis polymerase ζ with a base pair mismatch
Nature Communications,13, 1050 (2022) doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-28644-7 -
Conformational plasticity underlies membrane fusion induced by an HIV sequence juxtaposed to the lipid envelope.
Sci Rep 11, 1278 (2021) doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-80156-w -
Structural basis of proton-coupled potassium transport in the KUP family.
Nat Commun. 2020 Jan 31;11(1):626 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14441-7 -
Structure and mechanism of B-family DNA polymerase ζ specialized for translesion DNA synthesis
Nat Struct Mol Biol. 27(10):913-924. (2020) doi: 10.1038/s41594-020-0476-7 (2020) -
Structural basis for active single and double ring complexes in human mitochondrial Hsp60-Hsp10 chaperonin
Nat Commun. 11(1):1916 (2020) doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-15698-8 (2020) -
Cryo-EM structure and dynamics of eukaryotic DNA polymerase ζ holoenzyme
Nat Struct Mol Biol. (10):955-962. (2019) doi: 10.1038/s41594-019-0305-z. (2019) -
CD46 facilitates entry and dissemination of human cytomegalovirus
Nature Communicationsvolume 10, Article number: 2699 (2019) -
Vitamin B12 modulates Parkinson’s disease LRRK2 kinase activity through allosteric regulation and confers neuroprotection
Cell Res 29(4):313-329. doi: 10.1038/s41422-019-0153-8 (2019) -
Cryo-EM structures of KdpFABC suggest a K(+) transportmechanism via two inter-subunit half-channels.
Nat Commun. 2018 Nov 26;9(1):4971. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07319-2 -
Unwinding of the Substrate Transmembrane Helix in Intramembrane Proteolysis
Biophys J. 2018;114(7):1579-1589. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2018.01.043 (2018) -
Functional variants in the LRRK2 gene confer shared effects on risk for Crohn’s disease and Parkinson’s disease
Sci Transl Med. 2018 Jan 10;10(423). pii: eaai7795. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aai7795. PubMed PMID: 29321258; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6028002 (2018)