MPS: Catherine Royer - Molecular mechanisms underlying the commitment to division and cell size in budding yeast revealed by quantitative fluorescence microscopy

The Royer group investigates protein conformational landscapes and the molecular mechanisms underlying adaptation to extreme environments. A particular focus is on the effects of pressure on proteins, both in vitro and in vivo. They exploit pressure perturbation to explore functional conformational landscapes using techniques like fluorescence spectroscopy, SAXS, and NMR, often coupled with variable pressure and temperature devices. The group also seeks to understand how biomolecule sequences in extremophile organisms have evolved to function under pressures that disrupt their mesophilic counterparts. A second major research axis explores the molecular basis of cellular response and adaptation to environmental conditions, with an emphasis on transcriptional regulation studied using fluctuation microscopy, FLIM, and super-resolution PALM/STORM imaging.