Membrane Protein Structure and Function Unit - Division of Intramural Research

 Reinhard    Grisshammer  Ph.D., Investigator

Dr. Grisshammer received his university degree in Biology and Chemistry in 1985 from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany. In 1990, he received his Ph.D. degree from the Johann-Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, where he worked with Hartmut Michel at the Max-Planck-Institute of Biophysics studying the c-type subunit of the photosynthetic reaction center of Rhodopseudomonas viridis. Dr. Grisshammer did post-doctoral work with Richard Henderson at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, England, where he focused on structural work on G-protein-coupled receptors. Dr. Grisshammer joined NIDDK in 2001 as staff scientist, and NINDS in 2006 as investigator. His laboratory is using a combination of structural and functional approaches to answer mechanistic questions regarding G-protein-coupled receptors.

Research Interests

Our research focuses on the structure determination of integral membrane proteins, with emphasis on seven-helix G-protein-coupled receptors. Relevant techniques encompass heterologous overexpression including development of new strategies for improved yields, purification at large scale in functional form, biochemical and pharmacological characterization, and crystallization. Our aim is to obtain well-ordered crystals to solve structures at high resolution.

Selected Recent Publications

Shibata Y, White JF, Serrano-Vega MJ, Magnani F, Aloia AL, Grisshammer R, Tate CG
Thermostabilization of the neurotensin receptor NTS1 - J Mol Biol  390 262-277 2009

Ho JTC, White JF, Grisshammer R, Hess S
Analysis of a G protein-coupled receptor for neurotensin by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry - Analytical Biochemistry  376 13-24 2008

White JF, Grodnitzky J, Louis JM, Trinh LB, Shiloach J, Gutierrez J, Northup JK, Grisshammer R
Dimerization of the class A G protein-coupled neurotensin receptor NTS1 alters G protein interaction - Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA  104 12199-12204 2007

White JF, Grisshammer R
Automated large-scale purification of a recombinant G-protein-coupled neurotensin receptor - Current Protocols in Protein Science  unit 6.8 6.8.1-6.8.31 2007

Niebauer RT, White JF, Fei Z, Grisshammer R
Characterization of monoclonal antibodies directed against the rat neurotensin receptor NTS1 - Journal of Receptors and Signal Transduction  26 395-415 2006

Grisshammer R, Buchanan SK (editors)
Structural Biology of Membrane Proteins - Royal Society of Chemistry book  ISBN 0 85404 361 6  2006

Selected Earlier Publications

Contact Information

Membrane Protein Structure and Function Unit NINDS, National Institutes of Health  5625 Fishers Lane, room 4S-12   Rockville MD  20852-

Telephone: 301-594- 9223 (office), - - (laboratory), - -  (fax), Email: rkgriss@helix.nih.gov