Alireza Ghanbarpour, PhD

Washington University in St. Louis (WU)

Ghanbarpour’s lab investigates how bacteria and human mitochondria maintain homeostasis and respond to stress and environmental challenges through proteome remodeling. A central focus of our research is uncovering the molecular mechanisms of ATP-dependent AAA proteolytic machines—both soluble and membrane-spanning—and their accessory factors in bacterial and mitochondrial systems. We examine how these complexes assemble, achieve substrate specificity, and promote recovery from chemical stress, environmental changes, and pathogen attack. We also explore bacterial defense mechanisms against bacteriophage infection, including the rewiring of proteolytic systems and the deployment of innate immune strategies that enable survival during phage attack. Another major area of focus is protein engineering and the development of novel molecular tools derived from these proteolytic and phage defense systems. Our work employs a multidisciplinary approach that integrates biochemical reconstitution, structural biology (cryo-EM, cryo-ET, and crystallography), cellular assays, and mass spectrometry.