Andres F. Oberhauser, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

Telephone: (409) 772-1309
Fax: (409) 747-8187
E-mail: afoberha@utmb.edu
Campus Location: 4.212G Research Bldg.
Mail Route: 0620

Research

I am interested in the mechanism by which proteins respond to mechanical forces. A large fraction of the proteins have structural and thus also mechanical functions. Examples include muscle proteins (e.g. titin), cytoskeletal proteins (e.g. spectrin) and proteins of the extracellular matrix (e.g. fibronectin). However, not much is known how single proteins respond to mechanical forces. Do they behave as simple springs or do they display more complex features? Do they share common set of design principles and mechanical fingerprints?

We are currently studying the mechanical properties of the cell matrix protein perlecan (an abundant component of the basal lamina), polycystin-1 (a cell membrane receptor) and projectin (a protein found in insect flight muscles). We hypothesize that these proteins function as a mechanical sensors that regulates several processes, including cell growth and tissue morphogenesis. We are testing this hypothesis by directly measuring their mechanical properties using novel Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) techniques that are capable of tracking forced-induced conformational changes in single molecules.