Prof. Arieh S Solomon

The research activity in the Experimental Ophthalmology Laboratory try to elucidate mechanisms of disease, way to treat disorders and create models for research.There is also a search for better diagnosis tools in eye & brain disorders.

The second major topic of our research is the chaperonin family of proteins.  The most well-known are the GroEL and GroES proteins of E. coli.  The cpn60 (or Hsp60) protein (GroEL) binds to nascent or stress-denatured proteins and facilitates their refolding with the assistance of the cpn10 (Hsp10, GroES) co-chaperonin. In mitochondria, Hsp60 mediates the folding of proteins that have been translocated from the cytosol to the matrix.  The importance of these chaperonins in mitochondria is highlighted by the discovery of genetic diseases caused by mutations in these proteins, and of extramitochondrial roles, some related to cancer development.  We have been studying the structure and function of mitochondrial and chloroplast chaperonins in vitro.  Recently, we published the first crystal structure of the the mitochondrial chaperonin complex, which lent insight into the unique mechanism of this system.

More recently, we have become interested in the mechanism behind genetic diseases. Modern deep-sequencing technologies have facilitated the identification of mutations responsible for recessive genetic diseases. We use this information to delineate the molecular basis of the disease, taking a two-pronged approach.  We utilize a yeast model to study the effects of the mutated protein in a biological system.  In parallel, we produce the mutated protein and purify it in vitro, in order to investigate its properties and its interaction with other proteins.