Elizabeth R. Wright

Education

B.S., Columbus State University; Ph.D., Emory University; Postdoctoral, California Institute of Technology

Research Areas

• Membrane & Cellular Biophysics
• Microbial Biophysics & Virology
• Protein Folding Design & Function
• Structural Biology

3D structure of viruses, bacteria, and mammalian cells by cryo-electron microscopy

The work in the Wright lab uses cryo-EM to investigate the structures of many types of cells. We also develop methods for advancing this technology. The goal is to use this information to aid in the development of novel antimicrobials, therapeutics, and vaccines.

Direct visualization of endogenous tethers on HIV-1 attached to HeLa cells by cryo-ET
HeLa cells transfected with pNLenv1-delta-U were imaged by cryo-ET. Tomographic slice (7.37 nm) of HIV-1 virions attached to plasma membrane. Immature and mature virions, maturation intermediates, and HIV budding from the plasma membrane were observed. Elements shown include HIV-1 virions (purple), immature Gag polyprotein (pink), mature cores (blue), tethers (green), and the plasma membrane (orange). Image courtesy of Joshua D. Strauss and Elizabeth R. Wright.