Wade F. Zeno

Curvature sensing and generation by diverse membrane-tethered polymers can be explained by a unifying physical model

This study shows that ionic strength and ionization affect membrane-tethered polymer conformation, which influences membrane curvature generation through changes in brush thickness and grafting density.

Dimer opening enables brain-type creatine kinase to sense membrane curvature

This study identifies dimer opening in CK-BB as a mechanism for sensing membrane curvature and regulating ATP regeneration under acidic conditions and substrate binding.

Clathrin is an Intrinsic Driver of Membrane Fission

This study shows clathrin alone can drive membrane fission in vitro, with stronger assembly leading to weaker fission, suggesting lattice curvature, not just recruitment, drives membrane remodeling.

Membrane Phase, Charge, and Curvature Regulate α-Synuclein Binding Dynamics

This study investigates how membrane phase, charge, and curvature jointly regulate α-synuclein binding dynamics using experimental and simulation methods.

Cholesterol differentially regulates α-synuclein binding across membrane packing regimes

This study shows cholesterol's effect on α-synuclein binding depends on membrane packing state, with cholesterol reducing, enhancing, or having little effect based on lipid composition and curvature.

Membrane curvature enhances oxidation within lipid bilayers in a composition-dependent manner

This study shows that membrane curvature and lipid composition together influence oxidation rates in lipid bilayers, with curvature increasing oxidation and cholesterol modulating this effect.

Amphiphilic Peptide Fusion Promotes Endocytic Uptake of Nanodiscs

This study shows that fusing an amphipathic peptide to nanodiscs enhances endocytic uptake and reduces endosomal sequestration, improving drug delivery efficiency.

Graphene Quantum Dots Mitigate Oxidative Stress in Bacteria

This study shows graphene quantum dots reduce oxidative stress in E. coli by protecting membranes and intracellular redox balance.

Recombinant protein platform for high-throughput investigation of peptide-liposome interactions via fluorescence anisotropy depolarization

This paper introduces a recombinant protein platform to measure binding affinity of inducible amphipathic helices to membranes using fluorescence anisotropy.

The disordered and structured regions of α-Synuclein contribute to membrane remodeling synergistically

This study shows that α-Synuclein's structured N-terminal domain and disordered C-terminal domain work together to enhance membrane remodeling through synergistic electrostatic and curvature effects.

Lipid Packing Defects are Necessary and Sufficient for Membrane Binding of alpha-Synuclein

This study shows that N-terminal acetylation of alpha-synuclein reduces its dependence on anionic lipids for membrane binding, demonstrating that membrane packing defects alone can drive binding.

Clathrin senses membrane curvature

This study shows clathrin is a strong membrane curvature sensor, with its sensitivity amplified by adaptor proteins, highlighting the role of protein networks in curvature sensing.