My research interests lie at the intersection of intracellular viral trafficking, structural biology and protein design. Research in my independent laboratory will offer mechanistic understanding of cytoskeleton-mediated viral trafficking by integrating cryo-EM/ET with biochemical, single-molecule and functional virology assays. My work will identify novel molecular targets for therapeutic intervention as well as contribute to further understanding of fundamental cargo transportation within and between the cells. In particular, this research aims to target latent HIV-1 reservoirs, recognized as a major barrier to curing HIV-1 infection, by preventing cell-to-cell transmission from activated latently infected cells.  

My research training has equipped me with a formidable array of methodologies, encompassing computational modeling, cryo-electron microscopy and single-molecule TIRF microscopy. Throughout my doctoral research at Virginia Tech, using a combination of Molecular Dynamics simulations and X-ray crystallography, I studied how by formulating the activity-stability trade-off we can introduce mutations to enhance the thermostability of enzymes without compromising their activity. After my PhD, I wanted to dive deeper into the realm of protein structure and designability. During my postdoctoral tenure under the mentorship of Dr. Neil Marsh at the University of Michigan, I contributed to the establishment of a novel symmetry-directed self-assembly method involving protein cages, orchestrated by de novo-designed coiled-coil constructs. The protein cages were fully characterized by harnessing cutting-edge techniques such as Native Mass Spectrometry and CryoEM.

Badieyan S, Lichon D, Andreas MP, Shi J, Gillies JP, DeSantis ME, Aiken CR, Giessen TW, Campbell EM, Cianfrocco MA. “HIV-1 binds dynein directly to hijack microtubule transport machinery”. BioRxiv, 2023. (under revision for Science Advances)

Baker FC, Lu W, Lakonishok M, Neiswender H, Karmegam RV, Allen P, Badieyan S, Cianfrocco MA, Gelfand V, Gonsalvez GB. “The Bicaudal-D/Egalitarian complex defines the specificity of cargo transport by Dynein”. BioRxiv, 2023. 

Badieyan S*†, Missman A*, Cianfrocco MA†. Tentative title: “Mechanism of kinesin-1 activation by its cargo adaptor FEZ1”. 2024 †Co-corresponding author, *Equal contribution   

Gicking AM, Ma TC, Feng Q, Jiang R, Badieyan S, Cianfrocco MA, Hancock WO. “Kinesin-1,-2 and-3 motors use family-specific mechanochemical strategies to effectively compete with dynein during bidirectional transport”. Elife. 2022; 11: e82228

Budaitis BG, Badieyan S, Yue Y, Blasius TL, Reinemann DN, Lang MJ, Cianfrocco MA, Verhey KJ. “A kinesin1 variant reveals motor-induced microtubule damage in cells”. Current Biology. 2022; 32 (11): 2416-2429 

Spriggs CC, Badieyan S, Verhey KJ, Cianfrocco MA, Tsai B. “Golgi-associated dynein adaptors strategically couple ER membrane penetration and disassembly of a viral cargo”. Journal of Cell Biology. 2020; 219(5): e201908099 

Zou X*, Wei S*, Badieyan S*, Schroeder M, Jasensky J, Brooks CL, Marsh ENG, Chen Z. “Investigating the Effect of Two-Point Surface Attachment on Enzyme Stability and Activity”. Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS). 2018; 140(48):16560-16569. *Equal contribution 

Jasensky J, Ferguson K, Baria M, Zou X, McGinnis R, Kaneshiro A, Wei S, Badieyan S, Marsh ENG, Chen Z. “Simultaneous Observation of the Orientation and Activity of Surface-Immobilized Enzymes”. Langmuir. 2018; 34(31):9133-9140. 

Badieyan S, Sciore A, Su M, Eschweiler JD, Koldewey P, Cristie-David A, Ruotolo BT, Bardwell JC, Marsh EN. “Symmetry-directed Self-assembly of a Tetrahedral Protein Cage Mediated by De Novo-designed Coiled Coils”. Chembiochem. 2017; 18(19):1888-1892. Featured as the journal cover image.

Cristie-David A, Sciore A, Badieyan S, Escheweiler JD, Koldewey P, Ruotolo BT, Bardwell JC, Marsh EN. “Evaluation of de novo Designed Coiled-coils as off-the-shelf Components for Protein Assembly”. RSC Molecular Systems Design & Engineering, 2017; 2, 140-148 

Badieyan S, Wang Q, Zou X, Li Y, Herron M, Abbott NL, Chen Z and Marsh EN. “An Engineered Surface-immobilized Enzyme that Retains High Levels of Catalytic Activity in Air”.  Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), 2017; 139(8):2872-2875. Featured in ACS select collection focused on Engineered Biomolecular Catalysts, 2017

Schroeder MS, Wang Q, Badieyan S, Marsh EN. “Effect of Surface Crowding and Surface Hydrophilicity on the Activity, Stability and Molecular Orientation of a Covalently Tethered Enzyme”. Langmuir, 2017. DOI:10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b00646 

Sohrabi R, Huh JH, Badieyan S, Harinantenina L, Kliebenstein DJ, Sobrado P, Tholl D. “In Planta Variation of Volatile Biosynthesis: An alternative Biosynthetic Route to the Pathogen-Induced Volatile Homoterpene DMNT via Triterpene Degradation in Arabidopsis Roots”. Plant Cell, 2015; 27(3):874-90. 

Badieyan S†, Robert D. Bach, Sobrado P†. “Mechanism of N-Hydroxylation Catalyzed by Flavin-dependent Monooxygenases”.  The Journal of Organic Chemistry. 2015; 80(4):2139-47. †Co-corresponding author 

Robinson R*, Badieyan S*, Sobrado P. “C4a-hydroperoxyflavin Formation in N-hydroxylating Flavin Monooxygenases is Mediated by the 2’-OH of the Nicotinamide Ribose of NADP+”. Biochemistry 2013; 52(51):9089. *Equal contribution. 

Shirey C*, Badieyan S*, Sobrado P. “Role of S257 in the Sliding Mechanism of NADP(H) in the Reaction Catalyzed by A. fumigatus Flavin-dependent Ornithine N5-monooxygenase SidA”. The Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC) 2013; 288(45):32440. 

Badieyan S, Bevan DR, Zhang C. “Probing the Active Site Chemistry of β-glucosidases along the Hydrolysis Reaction Pathway.” Biochemistry 2012; 51(44):8907. 

Badieyan S, Bevan DR, Zhang C. “A Salt-bridge Controlled by Ligand Binding Modulates the Hydrolysis Reaction in a GH5 Endoglucanase” Protein Eng Des Sel. 2012; 25(5):223 

Badieyan S, Bevan DR, Zhang C. “Study and Design of Stability in GH5 Cellulases” Biotechnol Bioeng. 2012; 109(1):31 

Lee S, Badieyan S, Bevan DR, Herde M, Gatz C, Tholl D. “Herbivore-induced and Floral Homoterpene Volatiles are Biosynthesized by a Single P450 Enzyme (CYP82G1) in Arabidopsis”. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (PNAS). 2010; 107(49):21205. Featured in F100