Image

Dr Emily Cross

ABSTRACT

Many proteins migrate from cytoplasm to nucleus through their recognition by specialist receptors known as importins (IMPs). To date, these nuclear import pathways are generally well defined, however, the cargo nuclear localization signal (NLS) presented to IMPs can vary greatly and do not follow a strict motif. Furthermore, through use of NLS mimics, numerous viruses are known to hijack these pathways to enhance viral replication, proliferation, pathogenesis, and evasion of the host immune response. For this reason, understanding virus-IMP binding interfaces becomes appealing for the development of novel antiviral inhibitors. In this seminar, I will review some of the highlights from my recent PhD program, where I used structural biology techniques to investigate the molecular interactions between viral NLSs and IMP proteins.

BIOGRAPHY

In 2017 Emily completed a Bachelor of Science (microbiology and immunology) at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga NSW, and following this she completed Honours under the supervision of Professor Jade Forwood. During her Honours, Emily was first introduced to structural biology, where she investigated fatty acid synthesis enzymes from multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Between 2020-2024, Emily completed a jointly funded PhD program through Charles Sturt University and the United Kingdom’s national synchrotron, Diamond Light Source. She completed her doctorate under the mentorship of Professor Jade Forwood, Dr David Aragão, and Dr Nathan Cowieson. Over these years, Emily divided her time between Australia and the UK, where she used X-ray diffraction, Small Angle X-ray Scattering, and biochemical/biophysical assays to better understand protein interactions. Since late 2024, Emily joined the Solomon and Williams Labs at the Australian National University where she is now investigating the protein interactions and mechanisms involved in extracellular plant immunity.