Welcome to the Boland lab!
We are a friendly, focused and enthusiastic group working at the intersection of Structural Biology, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology. We leverage the latest developments in Structural Biology, and here in particular cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) with complementary biophysical techniques (proteomics, light-microscopy, microfluidics, etc.), to adress complex biological questions.
Our main focus lies in the fields of cell cycle regulation (Mitosis) and cell signaling (GPCRs).
LATEST NEWS
January '25
January '25
SUBSTRATE RECOGNITION
BY HUMAN SEPARASE
CYCLIN B1 PHOSPHATE-BINDING POCKET PAPER PUBLISHED IN NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
A new preprint from our lab. Jun, Sophia and Margherita provide novel insights into one of the most fundamental processes in the life of a eukaryotic cell - the division of sister chromatids..
In close collaboration with the lab of Thomas Mayer at the University of Konstanz, and the laboratory of Prof. Tanja Spange at the LMU in Munich we have now published our work on the phosphate-binding pocket in Nature Communications.
November '24
APC/C PAPER NOW PUBLISHED IN NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
Anna's and Jun's high-resolution studies of the APC/C, in close collaboration with the lab of David Barford at the MRC-LMB in Cambridge has now been published in Nature Communications.
November '24
NANOBODY-OPIOID RECEPTOR STRUCTURE
In collaboration with the lab of Prof. Miriam Stoeber we solved the structure of the µ-opioid receptor bound to an extracellular antagonistic nanobody. Our work might provide novel insights into opioid receptor pain signalling.
PUBLICATIONS
Selected publications (Boland group)
Substrate recognition by human separase. Yu J, Schmidt S, Botto M, Lee K, Ghent CM, Goodfried JM, Howe A, O'Reilly FJ, Morgan DO and Boland A. bioRxiv, 2025.
Transgenerational maintenance of H3K27me3 heterochromatin is balanced by chromodomain proteins in Caenorhabditis elegans. Özdemir I, Höfler A, Delaney K, Wenda JM, Li C, Saltzman AL, Boland A and Steiner F. bioRxiv, 2025.
Positively charged specificity site in cyclin B1 is essential for mitotic fidelity. Heinzle C, Höfler A, Yu J, Heid P, Kremer N, Stengel F, Bange T, , Boland A and Mayer TU. Nature Communications. 2025 16(1): 853, and Research Square.
Structural Basis of μ-Opioid Receptor-Targeting by a Nanobody Antagonist. Yu J*, Kumar A, Zhang X, Martin C, Raia P, Kohl A, Laeremans T, Steyaert J, Manglik A, Ballet S, Boland A and Stoeber M. Nature Communications. 2024 15(1):8687, and bioRxiv.
New structural features of the APC/C revealed by high resolution cryo-EM structures of apo-APC/C and the APC/C:CDH1:EMI1 complex. Höfler A, Yu J, Yang J, Zhang Z, Chang L, Grime GW, Garman EF, Boland A and Barford D. Nature Communications. 2024, and bioRxiv.
The molecular mechanisms of human separase regulation.
Yu J, Morgan DO, Boland A.Biochem Soc Transactions. 2023 Jun 28
CEMIP (HYBID, KIAA1199): structure, function and expression in health and disease.
Spataro S, Guerra C, Cavalli A, Sgrignani J, Sleeman J, Poulain L, Boland A, Scapozza L, Moll S, Prunotto M.
FEBS Journal. 2022 Aug 23
Hepatic S100A9-TLR4-mTORC1 axis normalizes diabetic ketogenesis.
Ursino G, Ramadori G, Höfler A, Odouard S, Teixeira PS, Visentin F, Veyrat-Durebex C, Lucibello G, Firnkes R, Ricci S, Vianna CR, Jia L, Dirlewanger M, Klee P, Elmquist JK, Roth J, Vogl T, Schwitzgebel VM, Jornayvaz FR, Boland A, Coppari R.
Nature Communications. 2022 13(1):4107
Structural basis of human separase regulation by securin and Cdk1-cyclin B1.
Yu J, Raia P, Ghent CM, Raisch T, Sadian Y, Cavadini S, Sabale PM, Barford D, Raunser S, Morgan DO, Boland A.
Nature. 2021 Aug;596(7870):138-142.
All our work is open access.
CONTACT US
Boland laboratory
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MOCEL)
Sciences III
30 Quai Ernest-Ansermet
1211 Geneva, Switzerland
+41 22 379 61 27
FUNDING
We would like to thank all our funding bodies for their trust and support. Merci!
