Research Interests
Almost 30 % of all genomes sequenced to date encode membrane proteins. These play vital roles in many areas of cell biology such as signalling, the selective uptake or removal of molecules from the cell and the maintenance of cellular pH or ion concentration. Despite their importance in physiology and drug discovery there is a relative paucity in the number of structures solved. The goal of my research is in understanding the structure and mechanism of these dynamic proteins through the use of X-ray crystallography in combination with other biochemical and biophysical techniques.
In particular my group is focussed on secondary active transporters. These proteins harness electrochemical gradients to transport ions or molecules across membranes.
We have solved the structure of a number of transporters and are probing their mechanisms through a combination of X-ray crystallography, biochemistry, site-directed mutagenesis, chemistry and computational chemistry.
Biography
DPhil, Chemistry. University of York, 1993
BSc Biophysics. University of Leeds 1989
- Jacomin, Anne-Claire, Petridi, Stavroula, Di Monaco, Marisa, Bhujabal, Zambarlal, Jain, Ashish, Mulakkal, Nitha Charles, Palara, Anthimi, Powell, Emma L., Chung, Bonita, Zampronio, Cleidiane, Jones, Alexandra M., Cameron, Alexander, Johansen, Terje, Nezis, Ioannis P., 2020. Regulation of expression of autophagy genes by Atg8a-interacting partners Sequoia, YL-1 and Sir2 in Drosophila. Cell Reports, 31 (8)
- Saouros, Savvas, Cecchetti, Cristina, Jones, Alexandra M., Cameron, Alexander, Byrne, Bernadette, 2020. Strategies for successful isolation of a eukaryotic transporter. Protein Expression and Purification, 166
- Quareshy, Mussa, Shanmugam, Muralidharan, Townsend, Eleanor, Jameson, Eleanor, Bugg, Timothy D. H., Cameron, Alexander, Chen, Yin, 2020. Structural basis of carnitine monooxygenase CntA substrate specificity, inhibition and inter-subunit electron transfer. Journal of Biological Chemistry
- Santos Rodrigues, Fabio Henrique dos, Firczuk, Helena, Breeze, Alexander L., Cameron, Alexander, Walko, Martin, Wilson, Andrew J, Zanchin , Nilson I.T., McCarthy, John E. G., 2019. The Leishmania PABP1?eIF4E4 interface : a novel 5'?3' interaction architecture for trans-spliced mRNAs. Nucleic Acids Research, 47 (3), pp. 1493-1504
- Fenn, Jonathan S., Nepravishta, Ridvan, Guy, Collette S., Harrison, James, Angulo, Jesus, Cameron, Alexander, Fullam, Elizabeth, 2019. Structural basis of glycerophosphodiester recognition by the mycobacterium tuberculosis substrate-binding protein UgpB. ACS Chemical Biology, 14 (9), pp. 1879-1887
- Morris, Kyle L., Jones, Joseph Reuben, Halebian, Mary, Wu, Shenping, Baker, Michael, Armache, Jean-Paul, Avila Ibarra, Amaurys, Sessions, Richard B., Cameron, Alexander, Cheng, Yifan, Smith, Corinne J., 2019. Cryo-EM of multiple cage architectures reveals a universal mode of clathrin self assembly. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 26, pp. 890-898
- Ahangar, Mohd Syed, Furze, Christopher M., Guy, Collette S., Cooper, Charlotte, Maskew, Kathryn S, Graham, Benjamin T., Cameron, Alexander, Fullam, Elizabeth, 2018. Structural and functional determination of homologs of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis N-acetylglucosamine-6-phosphate deacetylase (NagA). Journal of Biological Chemistry, 293 (25), pp. 9770-9783
- Coincon, Mathieu, Uzdavinys, Povilas, Nji, Emmanuel, Dotson, David L., Winkelmann, Iven, Abdul-Hussein, Saba, Cameron, Alexander, Beckstein, Oliver, Drew, David, 2016. Crystal structures reveal the molecular basis of ion translocation in sodium/proton antiporters. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 23 (3), pp. 248-255
- Alguel, Y., Cameron, Alexander, Diallinas, G., Byrne, B., 2016. Transporter oligomerization : form and function. Biochemical Society Transactions, 44 (6), pp. 1737-1744
- Alguel, Yilmaz, Amillis, Sotiris, Leung, James, Lambrinidis, George, Capaldi, Stefano, Scull, Nicola J., Craven, Gregory, Iwata, So, Armstrong, Alan, Mikros, Emmanuel, Diallinas, George, Cameron, Alexander, Byrne, Bernadette, 2016. Structure of eukaryotic purine/H+ symporter UapA suggests a role for homodimerization in transport activity. Nature Communications, 7, pp. 1-9
- Arakawa, Takatoshi, Kobayashi-Yurugi, Takami, Alguel, Yilmaz, Iwanari, Hiroko, Hatae, Hinako, Iwata, Momi, Abe, Yoshito, Hino, Tomoya, Ikeda-Suno, Chiyo, Kuma, Hiroyuki, Kang, Dongchon, Murata, Takeshi, Hamakubo, Takao, Cameron, Alexander, Kobayashi, Takuya, Hamasaki, Naotaka, Iwata, So, 2015. Crystal structure of the anion exchanger domain of human erythrocyte band 3. Science, 350 (6261), pp. 680-684
- Lee, Chiara, Yashiro, Shoko, Dotson, David L., Uzdavinys, Povilas, Iwata, So, Sansom, Mark S. P., von Ballmoos, Christoph, Beckstein, Oliver, Drew, David, Cameron, Alexander, 2014. Crystal structure of the sodium-proton antiporter NhaA dimer and new mechanistic insights. The Journal of General Physiology, 144 (6), pp. 529-544
- Simmons, Katie J., Jackson, Scott M., Brueckner, Florian, Patching, Simon G., Beckstein, Oliver, Ivanova, Ekaterina, Geng, Tian, Weyand, Simone, Drew, David, Lanigan, Joseph, Sharples, David J., Sansom, M. S. P. (Mark S. P.), Iwata, So, Fishwick, Colin W. G., Johnson, A. Peter, Cameron, Alexander, Henderson, P. J. F. (Peter J. F.), 2014. Molecular mechanism of ligand recognition by membrane transport protein, Mhp1. The EMBO Journal, 33 (16), pp. 1831-1844
- Lee, Chiara, Kang, Hae Joo, von Ballmoos, Christoph, Newstead, Simon, Uzdavinys, Povilas, Dotson, David L., Iwata, So, Beckstein, Oliver, Cameron, Alexander, Drew, David, 2013. A two-domain elevator mechanism for sodium/proton antiport. Nature, 501 (7468), pp. 573-577
- Foadi, James, Aller, Pierre, Alguel, Yilmaz, Cameron, Alexander, Axford, Danny, Owen, Robin L., Armour, Wes, Waterman, David G., Iwata, So, Evans, Gwyndaf, 2013. Clustering procedures for the optimal selection of data sets from multiple crystals in macromolecular crystallography. Acta Crystallographica Section D Biological Crystallography, 69 (8), pp. 1617-1632
- Leung, James, Cameron, Alexander, Diallinas, George, Byrne, Bernadette, 2013. Stabilizing the heterologously expressed uric acid-xanthine transporter UapA from the lower eukaryoteAspergillus nidulans. Molecular Membrane Biology, 30 (1), pp. 32-42
- Solcan, Nicolae, Kwok, Jane, Fowler, Philip W, Cameron, Alexander, Drew, David, Iwata, So, Newstead, Simon, 2012. Alternating access mechanism in the POT family of oligopeptide transporters. The EMBO Journal, Vol. 31 (No. 16), pp. 3411-3421
- Hino, Tomoya, Arakawa, Takatoshi, Iwanari, Hiroko, Yurugi-Kobayashi, Takami, Ikeda-Suno, Chiyo, Nakada-Nakura, Yoshiko, Kusano-Arai, Osamu, Weyand, Simone, Shimamura, Tatsuro, Nomura, Norimichi, Cameron, Alexander, Kobayashi, Takuya, Hamakubo, Takao, Iwata, So, Murata, Takeshi, 2012. G-protein-coupled receptor inactivation by an allosteric inverse-agonist antibody. Nature, Vol. 482, pp. 237-240
- Iwata, M., Lee, Y., Yamashita, T., Yagi, T., Iwata, So, Cameron, Alexander, Maher, M. J., 2012. The structure of the yeast NADH dehydrogenase (Ndi1) reveals overlapping binding sites for water- and lipid-soluble substrates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 109 (No. 38), pp. 15247-15252
- Sonoda, Yo, Newstead, Simon, Hu, Nien-Jen, Alguel, Yilmaz, Nji, Emmanuel, Beis, Konstantinos, Yashiro, Shoko, Lee, Chiara, Leung, James, Cameron, Alexander, Byrne, Bernadette, Iwata, So, Drew, David, 2011. Benchmarking Membrane Protein Detergent Stability for Improving Throughput of High-Resolution X-ray Structures. Structure, Vol. 19 (No. 1), pp. 17-25
- Hu, Nien-Jen, Iwata, So, Cameron, Alexander, Drew, David, 2011. Crystal structure of a bacterial homologue of the bile acid sodium symporter ASBT. Nature, Vol. 478 (No. 7369), pp. 408-411
- Newstead, Simon, Drew, David, Cameron, Alexander, Postis, Vincent L. G., Xia, Xiaobing, Fowler, Philip W., Ingram, Jean C., Carpenter, Elisabeth P., Sansom, M. S. P. (Mark S. P.), McPherson, Michael J., Baldwin, Stephen A., Iwata, So, 2011. Crystal structure of a prokaryotic homologue of the mammalian oligopeptide?proton symporters, PepT1 and PepT2. The EMBO Journal, Vol. 30 (No. 2), pp. 417-426
- Ito, Keisuke, Ito, Sohei, Shimamura, Tatsuro, Weyand, Simone, Kawarasaki, Yasuaki, Misaka, Takumi, Abe, Keiko, Kobayashi, Takuya, Cameron, Alexander, Iwata, So, 2011. Crystal Structure of Glucansucrase from the Dental Caries Pathogen Streptococcus mutans. Journal of Molecular Biology, Vol. 408 (No. 2), pp. 177-186
- Choudhury, Hassanul G., Cameron, Alexander, Iwata, So, Beis, Konstantinos, 2011. Structure and mechanism of the chalcogen-detoxifying protein TehB fromEscherichia coli. Biochemical Journal, Vol. 435 (No. 1), pp. 85-91
- Weyand, Simone, Shimamura, Tatsuro, Beckstein, Oliver, Sansom, M. S. P. (Mark S. P.), Iwata, So, Henderson, P. J. F. (Peter J. F.), Cameron, Alexander, 2011. The alternating access mechanism of transport as observed in the sodium-hydantoin transporter Mhp1. Journal of Synchrotron Radiation, Vol. 18 (No. 1), pp. 20-23
- Shimamura, Tatsuro, Weyand, Simone, Beckstein, Oliver, Rutherford, N. G., Hadden, J. M., Sharples, D., Sansom, M. S. P. (Mark S. P.), Iwata, So, Henderson, P. J. F. (Peter J. F.), Cameron, Alexander, 2010. Molecular Basis of Alternating Access Membrane Transport by the Sodium-Hydantoin Transporter Mhp1. Science, Vol. 328 (No. 5977), pp. 470-473
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Bindi, Simona, Fancelli, Daniele, Alli, Cristina, Berta, Daniela, Bertrand, Jay A., Cameron, Alexander, Cappella, Paolo, Carpinelli, Patrizia, Cervi, Giovanni, Croci, Valter, D?Anello, Matteo, Forte, Barbara, Laura Giorgini, M., Marsiglio, Aurelio, Moll, Juergen, Pesenti, Enrico, Pittalà, Valeria, Pulici, Maurizio, Riccardi-Sirtori, Federico, Roletto, Fulvia et al (Select to open full list), 2010. Thieno[3,2-c]pyrazoles: A novel class of Aurora inhibitors with favorable antitumor activity. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, Vol. 18 (No. 19), pp. 7113-7120
- Sonoda, Yo, Cameron, Alexander, Newstead, Simon, Omote, Hiroshi, Moriyama, Yoshinori, Kasahara, Michihiro, Iwata, So, Drew, David, 2010. Tricks of the trade used to accelerate high-resolution structure determination of membrane proteins. FEBS Letters, Vol. 584 (No. 12), pp. 2539-2547
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Brasca, Maria Gabriella, Amboldi, Nadia, Ballinari, Dario, Cameron, Alexander, Casale, Elena, Cervi, Giovanni, Colombo, Maristella, Colotta, Francesco, Croci, Valter, D?Alessio, Roberto, Fiorentini, Francesco, Isacchi, Antonella, Mercurio, Ciro, Moretti, Walter, Panzeri, Achille, Pastori, Wilma, Pevarello, Paolo, Quartieri, Francesca, Roletto, Fulvia, Traquandi, Gabriella et al (Select to open full list), 2009. Identification ofN,1,4,4-Tetramethyl-8-{[4-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)phenyl]amino}-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazolo[4,3-h]quinazoline-3-carboxamide (PHA-848125), a Potent, Orally Available Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Vol. 52 (No. 16), pp. 5152-5163
- Carpenter, Elisabeth P, Beis, Konstantinos, Cameron, Alexander, Iwata, So, 2008. Overcoming the challenges of membrane protein crystallography. Current Opinion in Structural Biology, Vol. 18 (No. 5), pp. 581-586
- Weyand, Simone, Shimamura, Tatsuro, Yajima, S., Suzuki, S., Mirza, O., Krusong, K., Carpenter, E. P., Rutherford, N. G., Hadden, J. M., O'Reilly, J., Ma, P., Saidijam, M., Patching, S. G., Hope, R. J., Norbertczak, H. T., Roach, P. C. J., Iwata, So, Henderson, P. J. F. (Peter J. F.), Cameron, Alexander, 2008. Structure and Molecular Mechanism of a Nucleobase-Cation-Symport-1 Family Transporter. Science, Vol. 322 (No. 5902), pp. 709-713
- Hu, Nien-Jen, Rada, Heather, Rahman, Nahid, Nettleship, Joanne E., Bird, Louise, Iwata, So, Drew, David, Cameron, Alexander, Owens, Raymond J., 2014. GFP-Based expression screening of membrane proteins in insect cells using the baculovirus system. In Owens, Raymond J. (ed.), Structural Proteomics : High-Throughput Methods, Humana Press, pp. 197-209
| Title | Funder | Award start | Award end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structural and biophysical basis of Connexin26 channel mediated disease | MRC | 09 Jan 2017 | 08 Jan 2021 |
| H20 MC: Crystal structures of PIN proteins - CrysPINs. MSCA IF EF ST for Fellow Martin Kubes | European Commission | 01 Aug 2018 | 31 Jul 2020 |
| Biochemical and structural characterisation of a unique Rieske oxygenase CntA - FULL RPG application | Leverhulme Trust | 08 May 2017 | 31 Jul 2020 |
| Elucidating molecular level details of the plant Borate transporter structure and function | BBSRC | 03 Oct 2016 | 31 Mar 2020 |
| In-depth structural characterization of the tetraspanin CD81 | BBSRC | 01 Apr 2016 | 31 Mar 2019 |
| Structural basis of the CO2 sensitivity of Cx26 and role in human physiology | Leverhulme Trust | 01 Jul 2015 | 31 Mar 2018 |
| Subproject for Institution # 39462 | BBSRC | 01 Oct 2014 | 31 Jan 2018 |
| Trypanosomatid protein synthesis as a target for novel drug therapies | MRC | 01 Jan 2016 | 31 Dec 2017 |
| Subcontract for BB/K017292/1 from Imperial | BBSRC | 01 Jul 2013 | 30 Jun 2016 |