Goran Ahlsen

Overview

Goran Ahlsen

Titles

Senior Experimental Scientist
Honig-Shapiro Lab

Phone
+1 212-851-5382
Email
ga2168@columbia.edu

Lab

Barry Honig

Goran Ahlsen is a research scientist, working in the joint group of Barry Honig and Lawrence Shapiro. His research is focused on applying biophysical methods, mainly analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC), in order to understand especially homophilic binding properties between protein molecules and to determine the strength of these bindings. The goal of his research is to gain insight in the binding mechanisms between interacting cell adhesion molecules on the molecular level, using this information to understand the behavior of cells in the processes of development, morphogenesis, and remodeling of tissue. Prior to joining the Honig/Shapiro group, Goran Ahlsen was a postdoctoral scientist in the group of Jonas Blomberg in the Department of Medical Virology, Uppsala University. Goran Ahlsen obtained his PhD from Uppsala University, studying binding and inhibitory properties of a large number of experimental HIV-1 protease inhibitors in the group of Helena Danielson.

Education History

PhD, Uppsala University, Sweden BIochemistry BSc, Uppsala University, Sweden Biochemistry

Publications

Goodman KM, Rubinstein R, Thu CA, Mannepalli S, Bahna F, Ahlsén G, Rittenhouse C, Maniatis T, Honig B, Shapiro L. γ-Protocadherin structural diversity and functional implications. Elife. 2016 Oct 26;5. pii: e20930.

Goodman KM, Yamagata M, Jin X, Mannepalli S, Katsamba PS, Ahlsén G, Sergeeva AP, Honig B, Sanes JR, Shapiro L. Molecular basis of sidekick-mediated cell-cell adhesion and specificity. Elife. 2016 Sep 19;5. pii: e19058.

Harrison OJ, Brasch J, Lasso G, Katsamba PS, Ahlsen G, Honig B, Shapiro L. Structural basis of adhesive binding by desmocollins and desmogleins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Jun 28;113(26):7160-5.

Goodman KM, Rubinstein R, Thu CA, Bahna F, Mannepalli S, Ahlsén G, Rittenhouse C, Maniatis T, Honig B, Shapiro L. Structural basis of diverse homophilic recognition by clustered α- and β-protocadherins. Neuron. 2016 May 18;90(4):709-23. 

Rubinstein R, Thu CA, Goodman KM, Wolcott HN, Bahna F, Mannepalli S, Ahlsen G, Chevee M, Halim A, Clausen H, Maniatis T, Shapiro L, Honig B. Molecular logic of neuronal self-recognition through protocadherin domain interactions. Cell. 2015 Oct 22;163(3):629-42. 

Kwon YD, Pancera M, Acharya P, Georgiev IS, Crooks ET, Gorman J, Joyce MG, Guttman M, Ma X, Narpala S, Soto C, Terry DS, Yang Y, Zhou T, Ahlsen G, Bailer RT, Chambers M, Chuang GY, Doria-Rose NA, Druz A, Hallen MA, Harned A, Kirys T, Louder MK, O'Dell S, Ofek G, Osawa K, Prabhakaran M, Sastry M, Stewart-Jones GB, Stuckey J, Thomas PV, Tittley T, Williams C, Zhang B, Zhao H, Zhou Z, Donald BR, Lee LK, Zolla-Pazner S, Baxa U, Schön A, Freire E, Shapiro L, Lee KK, Arthos J, Munro JB, Blanchard SC, Mothes W, Binley JM, McDermott AB, Mascola JR, Kwong PD. Crystal structure, conformational fixation and entry-related interactions of mature ligand-free HIV-1 Env. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2015 Jul;22(7):522-31.

Vendome J, Felsovalyi K, Song H, Yang Z, Jin X, Brasch J, Harrison OJ, Ahlsen G , Bahna F, Kaczynska A, Katsamba PS, Edmond D, Hubbell WL, Shapiro L, Honig B. Structural and energetic determinants of adhesive binding specificity in type I cadherin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Oct 7;111(40):E4175-84.

Harrison OJ, Vendome J, Brasch J, Jin X, Hong S, Katsamba PS, Ahlsen G, Troyanovsky RB, Troyanovsky SM, Honig B, Shapiro L. Nectin ectodomain structures reveal a canonical adhesive interface. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2012 Sep;19(9):906-15.

Wu W, Ahlsen G, Baker D, Shapiro L, Zipursky SL. Complementary chimeric isoforms reveal Dscam1 binding specificity in vivo. Neuron. 2012 Apr 26;74(2):261-8. 

Jin X, Walker MA, Felsövályi K, Vendome J, Bahna F, Mannepalli S, Cosmanescu F, Ahlsen G, Honig B, Shapiro L. Crystal structures of Drosophila N-cadherin ectodomain regions reveal a widely used class of Ca²+-free interdomain linkers. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Jan 17;109(3):E127-34. 

Brasch J, Harrison OJ, Ahlsen G, Liu Q, Shapiro L. Crystal structure of the ligand binding domain of netrin G2. J Mol Biol. 2011 Dec 16;414(5):723-34.

Vendome J, Posy S, Jin X, Bahna F, Ahlsen G, Shapiro L, Honig B. Molecular design principles underlying β-strand swapping in the adhesive dimerization of cadherins. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2011 Jun;18(6):693-700.

Harrison OJ, Jin X, Hong S, Bahna F, Ahlsen G, Brasch J, Wu Y, Vendome J, Felsovalyi K, Hampton CM, Troyanovsky RB, Ben-Shaul A, Frank J, Troyanovsky SM, Shapiro L, Honig B. The extracellular architecture of adherens junctions revealed by crystal structures of type I cadherins. Structure. 2011 Feb 9;19(2):244-56. 

Brasch J, Harrison OJ, Ahlsen G, Carnally SM, Henderson RM, Honig B, Shapiro L. Structure and binding mechanism of vascular endothelial cadherin: a divergent classical cadherin. J Mol Biol. 2011 Apr 22;408(1):57-73. 

Koehnke J, Katsamba PS, Ahlsen G, Bahna F, Vendome J, Honig B, Shapiro L, Jin X. Splice form dependence of beta-neurexin/neuroligin binding interactions. Neuron. 2010 Jul 15;67(1):61-74.

Ciatto C, Bahna F, Zampieri N, VanSteenhouse HC, Katsamba PS, Ahlsen G, Harrison OJ, Brasch J, Jin X, Posy S, Vendome J, Ranscht B, Jessell TM, Honig B, Shapiro L. T-cadherin structures reveal a novel adhesive binding mechanism. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2010 Mar;17(3):339-47.

Harrison OJ, Bahna F, Katsamba PS, Jin X, Brasch J, Vendome J, Ahlsen G, Carroll KJ, Price SR, Honig B, Shapiro L. Two-step adhesive binding by classical cadherins. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2010 Mar;17(3):348-57. 

Katsamba P, Carroll K, Ahlsen G, Bahna F, Vendome J, Posy S, Rajebhosale M, Price S, Jessell TM, Ben-Shaul A, Shapiro L, Honig BH. Linking molecular affinity and cellular specificity in cadherin-mediated adhesion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Jul 14;106(28):11594-9. 

Miloushev VZ, Bahna F, Ciatto C, Ahlsen G, Honig B, Shapiro L, Palmer AG 3rd. Dynamic properties of a type II cadherin adhesive domain: implications for the mechanism of strand-swapping of classical cadherins. Structure. 2008 Aug 6;16(8):1195-205. 

Koehnke J, Jin X, Trbovic N, Katsamba PS, Brasch J, Ahlsen G, Scheiffele P, Honig B, Palmer AG 3rd, Shapiro L. Crystal structures of beta-neurexin 1 and beta-neurexin 2 ectodomains and dynamics of splice insertion sequence 4. Structure. 2008 Mar;16(3):410-21.