Sarah Butcher, Professor
Department of Biosciences
Institute of Biotechnology
University of Helsinki
PO Box 56, FI-00014 Helsinki
Phone: +358-9-191-59563
Fax: +358-9-191-59098
Graduate students:

Our model organisms are the lipid-containing bacteriophages PRD1, phi8, phi6 and PM2. These are readily grown and purified on a large scale, and are well-defined genetically and biochemically, making them suitable for structural studies.

We use cryo-electron microscopy to capture transient assembly states and then computationally model these intermediates in three dimensions using image processing. To complement these relatively low resolution models (typically around 2 nm resolution), we are also studying individual proteins by atomic methods such as X-ray crystallography. In a synergistic approach, we have combined atomic and EM models to produce a quasi-atomic resolution model of the PRD1 virion. Not only can we thus study the major capsid protein in context, we can also identify minor viral proteins.

We actively collaborate with other groups in the graduate school, including Roman Tuma and Ilkka Kilpelainen.