The primary scientific goal of our research is to understand how large molecular machines function. We mainly focus on enzymes and large protein-RNA complexes that play a role in mRNA degradation. This essential biological process is part of gene-expression as the life-time of a transcript correlates with cellular protein levels. In our studies, we go well beyond determining static structural information and aim to obtain detailed insights into transient intermolecular interactions, protein dynamics and functionally relevant conformational changes. This is especially important for enzymes that have to undergo structural rearrangements to perform biological tasks. Experimentally we make extensive use of high-resolution NMR-spectroscopy that is ideally suited to detect and quantify dynamic processes and with atomic resolution in a near cellular setting. The assemblies that we study often have a molecular weight far over 100 kDa, which is an order of magnitude larger than systems that are routinely studied. We therefore exploit and develop novel methods in NMR spectroscopy and combine these with specialized isotope labeling schemes. Due to the challenging nature of our studies, we rely on highly sensitive and state-of-the-art NMR hardware. An upgrade of the NMR hardware at the Regensburg University is thus essential for the future success of our research.
