Dr Nick Robinson
Senior Lecturer in Microbiology and BiochemistryResearch Overview
The Robinson laboratory studies fundamental cellular processes that are responsible for the maintenance of chromosomal integrity and protein homeostasis. The dysregulation and mutation of these crucial pathways can result in a variety of pathological conditions including cancer, neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases. The laboratory utilizes the experimental tractability of thermophilic archaeal species to investigate these essential processes. Although archaeal species are ancient microbes, components of the archaeal DNA repair and replication systems and protein degradation pathways display functional homology to their eukaryotic counterparts. Therefore, eukaryotic-like processes can be studied in these experimentally amenable organisms. Furthermore, the robust and stable archaeal protein homologues isolated from thermophilic species offer unparalleled benefits for the structural and biochemical study of these essential cellular pathways. By taking advantage of these streamlined archaeal systems, while employing a range of biochemical and structural approaches, the main aims of the laboratory are to further our understanding of the evolution and mechanistic action of the DNA replication-associated DNA repair events and also ubiquitin-like modifications and proteasomal degradation pathways.
PhD Supervision Interests
PhD positions and MSc Research posts are available in the Robinson laboratory in the following areas: (i) maintenance of genomic stability (DNA replication and repair mechanism) (ii) protein homeostasis (ubiquitin-like modifications and protein turnover). The laboratory specialises in the use of model archaeal systems to study these fundamental cellular processes which underpin a variety of disease states including cancer and neurodegeneration. Please email me for further information regarding funding and project specifics. http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/fhm/about-us/people/nicholas-robinson
Using the Asgard archaea to trace the natural history of protein homeostasis
01/11/2020 → 01/02/2026
Research
Dr Abi Spear visiting Lancaster University
Types of Business and Community - Hosting of external, non-academic visitor
Invited speaker at the Gordon Research Conference on Archaea: Ecology, Metabolism and Molecular Biology, 2023
Invited talk
Invited Speaker, EMBO Molecular Biology of Archaea, Frankfurt 2022
Invited talk
Invited Speaker, EMBO Molecular Biology of Archaea (MBoA8), Frankfurt
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Royal Society (External organisation)
Membership of committee
Discussion Leader at the Gordon Research Conference on Archaea: Ecology, Metabolism and Molecular Biology
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Frontiers in Microbiology: Biology of Archaea Section (Publisher)
Editorial activity
BMC (Publisher)
Editorial activity
Invited Speaker: EMBO Workshop on Molecular biology of archaea: From mechanisms to ecology, Vienna, Austria
Invited talk
Organizer XVth Annual UK Workshop on Archaea
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Portland Press Ltd. (Publisher)
Editorial activity
18th Frankfurt Meeting on Genome Function and Gene Regulation in Archaea
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Co-Chair Gordon Research Conference - Archaea: Ecology, Metabolism & Molecular Biology
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Invited Speaker, Session Chair and Organizing Committee Member: Microbiology Society Focused Meeting 2016: Molecular Biology of Archaea 5
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
- Cancer Biology and Genome Stability
- Microbes, Pathogens and Immunity