Robert Alberstein
Postdoctoral Scholar


I am interested in the construction of biomolecular machines, motors, and switches, which carry out their functions through structural changes coupled to thermodynamic driving forces (e.g. chemical gradients, nucleotide hydrolysis). My research is focused on understanding and developing methods for the design of conformationally pliable systems that can be switched/driven between states via energy input from chemical fuel or light.

Education
  • Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences - Neuroscience Track, Carnegie Mellon University
  • Ph.D., Chemistry, University of California, San Diego
Publications
  1. Alberstein RG*, Guo AB*, Kortemme T. Design principles of protein switches. Current Opinion in Structural Biology. 2022 Feb 1;72:71-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbi.2021.08.004. *co-first author
  2. Zhang S*, Alberstein RG*, De Yoreo JJ, Tezcan FA. Assembly of a patchy protein into variable 2D lattices via tunable multiscale interactions. Nat Commun. 2020 Jul 28;11(1):3770. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-17562-1. *co-first authors
  3. Golub E, Subramanian RH, Esselborn J, Alberstein RG, Bailey JB, Chiong JA, Yan X, Booth T, Baker TS, Tezcan FA. Constructing protein polyhedra via orthogonal chemical interactions. Nature. 2020 Feb;578(7793):172-176. doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1928-2.
  4. Subramanian RH*, Smith SJ*, Alberstein RG, Bailey JB, Zhang L, Cardone G, Suominen L, Chami M, Stahlberg H, Baker TS, Tezcan FA. Self-Assembly of a Designed Nucleoprotein Architecture through Multimodal Interactions. ACS Cent Sci. 2018 Nov 28;4(11):1578-1586. doi: 10.1021/acscentsci.8b00745. *co-first authors
  5. Churchfield LA, Alberstein RG, Williamson LM, Tezcan FA. Determining the Structural and Energetic Basis of Allostery in a De Novo Designed Metalloprotein Assembly. J Am Chem Soc. 2018 Aug 8;140(31):10043-10053. doi: 10.1021/jacs.8b05812.
  6. Alberstein R, Suzuki Y, Paesani F, Tezcan FA. Engineering the entropy-driven free-energy landscape of a dynamic nanoporous protein assembly. Nat Chem. 2018 Jul;10(7):732-739. doi: 10.1038/s41557-018-0053-4.
  7. Yu A, Alberstein R, Thomas A, Zimmet A, Grey R, Mayer ML, Lau AY. Molecular lock regulates binding of glycine to a primitive NMDA receptor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Nov 1;113(44):E6786-E6795. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1607010113.
  8. Alberstein R, Grey R, Zimmet A, Simmons DK, Mayer ML. Glycine activated ion channel subunits encoded by ctenophore glutamate receptor genes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Nov 3;112(44):E6048-57. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1513771112.