Schur Group
Structural Biology of Cell Migration and Viral Infection
The Schur group aims to understand the structural and functional principles that control cell migration. In other projects, the group tries to elucidate assembly and maturation mechanisms in retroviruses and poxviruses. To this end, they use and develop advanced cryo-electron microscopy and image processing methods to study the structure and function of protein complexes in situ.
In the field of cell migration, the group focuses on the actin cytoskeleton, the key player allowing cells to move. Here they aim to obtain an understanding of how cells regulate directional cell movement by adapting the actin cytoskeleton via the intricate interplay of actin filament geometry and the activity of actin regulatory proteins.
In the field of virology, the group studies the structure of pleomorphic viruses by improving the versatility of cryo-EM data acquisition and image processing methods. Specifically, the group is interested in the conservation and diversity of retroviral capsid assemblies, and the assembly of poxviruses.
Group Leader
Administrative Support
Team
Current Projects
Cellular structural biology of the actin cytoskeleton and cell migration | Structural assembly mechanisms of retroviral capsid proteins and poxvirus cores | Cryo-electron tomography and image processing method development
Publications
Obr M, Percipalle M, Chernikova D, Yang H, Thader A, Pinke G, Porley DJ, Mansky LM, Dick RA, Schur FK. 2024. Distinct stabilization of the human T cell leukemia virus type 1 immature Gag lattice. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. View
Datler J, Hansen J, Thader A, Schlögl A, Bauer LW, Hodirnau V-V, Schur FK. 2024. Multi-modal cryo-EM reveals trimers of protein A10 to form the palisade layer in poxvirus cores. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. 31, 1114–1123. View
Zens B, Fäßler F, Hansen J, Hauschild R, Datler J, Hodirnau V-V, Zheden V, Alanko JH, Sixt MK, Schur FK. 2024. Lift-out cryo-FIBSEM and cryo-ET reveal the ultrastructural landscape of extracellular matrix. Journal of Cell Biology. 223(6), e202309125. View
Dimchev GA, Amiri B, Fäßler F, Falcke M, Schur FK. 2023. Computational toolbox for ultrastructural quantitative analysis of filament networks in cryo-ET data, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 10.15479/AT:ISTA:14502. View
Koch J, Xin Q, Obr M, Schäfer A, Rolfs N, Anagho HA, Kudulyte A, Woltereck L, Kummer S, Campos J, Uckeley ZM, Bell-Sakyi L, Kräusslich HG, Schur FK, Acuna C, Lozach PY. 2023. The phenuivirus Toscana virus makes an atypical use of vacuolar acidity to enter host cells. PLoS Pathogens. 19(8), e1011562. View
ReX-Link: Florian Schur
Career
Since 2024 Professor, Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
2017 – 2024 Assistant Professor, Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
2016 – 2017 Postdoc, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
2016 PhD, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg and University of Heidelberg, Germany
Selected Distinctions
2022 ERC Starting Grant
2021 FEBS Excellence Award
2021 EMBO Young Investigator
2021 ChanZuckerberg Initiative Visual proteomics grant
2020 FWF Standalone research grant
2018 FWF Standalone research grant
2016 Journal of Structural Biology, Paper of the Year Award
