Martin Hällberg's Group
Structural basis of RNA biogenesis
The Hällberg group investigates molecular mechanisms of mitochondrial and viral gene expression. For mitochondrial gene expression we are working on the aspects of early RNA processing, mitoribosome biogenesis and genome segregation. For viral replication we are primarily interested in the Herpesviral replication machinery as a target for better antiviral therapies.
During the Covid-19 pandemic the group has collaborated to help develop therapeutic interventions towards active viral infection, primarily using nanobodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
We are using an integrative structural cell biology approach using a combination of cryoelectron tomography, single-particle cryo-electron microscopy, cryoconfocal microscopy, biochemistry, X-ray crystallography and small-angle-X-ray scattering.
Group members
Selected Publications
Non-coding 7S RNA inhibits transcription via mitochondrial RNA polymerase dimerization.
Zhu X, Xie X, Das H, Tan BG, Shi Y, Al-Behadili A, Peter B, Motori E, Valenzuela S, Posse V, Gustafsson CM, Hällberg BM, Falkenberg M
Cell 2022 May;():
Structural basis for late maturation steps of the human mitoribosomal large subunit
Cipullo M, Gese GV, Khawaja A, Hallberg M*, Rorbach J*.
Nature Communications, June 16, 2021, doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-23617-8.
Structure-guided multivalent nanobodies block SARS-CoV-2 infection and suppress mutational escape.
Koenig PA, Das H, Liu H, Kümmerer BM, Gohr FN, Jenster LM, et al
Science 2021 Jan;():
Selection, biophysical and structural analysis of synthetic nanobodies that effectively neutralize SARS-CoV-2.
Custódio TF, Das H, Sheward DJ, Hanke L, Pazicky S, Pieprzyk J, et al
Nat Commun 2020 11;11(1):5588
An alpaca nanobody neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 by blocking receptor interaction.
Hanke L, Vidakovics Perez L, Sheward DJ, Das H, Schulte T, Moliner-Morro A, et al
Nat Commun 2020 09;11(1):4420
The MRPP1/MRPP2 complex is a tRNA-maturation platform in human mitochondria.
Reinhard L, Sridhara S, Hällberg BM
Nucleic Acids Res. 2017 Dec;45(21):12469-12480
Structure of mitochondrial poly(A) RNA polymerase reveals the structural basis for dimerization, ATP selectivity and the SPAX4 disease phenotype.
Lapkouski M, Hällberg BM
Nucleic Acids Res. 2015 Oct;43(18):9065-75