Structural Cell Biology of Viruses

The Department of Structural Cell Biology of Viruses, headed by Prof. Dr. Kay Grünewald, develops methodological approaches to investigate the structural organization of cells and the interactions between viruses and host cells. The elucidation of dynamic virus-host interactions and the underlying mechanisms is fundamental to understanding the complexity of viral infections.

Aim of their research is to elucidate the strictly regulated structural and functional organization of a cell. Viruses and their interactions with host cells represent an attractive model system for the analysis of macromolecular interactions. To study the transient structures and states in their natural environment, the group uses cryo-electron tomography (cryoET) in combination with complementary techniques. This allows selected aspects of this highly ordered network to be investigated and protein complexes to be analyzed in situ.