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Marcos Sotomayor

Please visit my new website at: https://research.chemistry.ohio-state.edu/sotomayor/ Department of Neurobiology Harvard Medical School 220 Longwood Avenue Boston, MA 02115, USA. Email: leunamsocram [at] gmail [dot] com Phone: 617-432-2518

Education & Training

• Postdoctoral Fellow, 2008 - present
  NIH Pathway to Independence Award (2012 - present).
  Helen Hay Whitney (2009-2012) / Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
  Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, USA.
  Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, USA.
  Advisors: Dr. David P. Corey. Dr. Rachelle Gaudet.
  
  
• Ph.D., Physics, 2007
  M.S., Physics, 2004
  Physics Department, UIUC, USA.
  Advisor: Dr. Klaus Schulten.
  
  
• M.S., Physics, 2002
  B.S., Physics, 2001
  DFI, FCFM, Universidad de Chile, Chile.
  Advisors: Dr. Fernando Lund. Dr. Rodrigo Soto.
  
  
• C.V.

Research Interests

Elasticity of Repeat Proteins Ankyrin		Mechanosensitive Channels MscS
Elasticity and Dynamics of Cadherin		Elasticity and Dynamics of Fibrinogen

Publications

• (21) M. Sotomayor, W. A. Weihofen, R. Gaudet, and D. P. Corey. "Structure of a Force-Conveying Cadherin Bond Essential for Inner-Ear Mechanotransduction" Nature, doi:10.1038/nature11590, 2012.
  
  
• (20) H. Inada, E. Procko, M. Sotomayor, R. Gaudet. "Structural and biochemical consequences of disease-causing mutations in the ankyrin repeat domain of the human TRPV4 channel" Biochemistry, 51:6195-6206, 2012.
  
  
• (19) J. Gumbart, F. Khalili-Araghi, M. Sotomayor, B. Roux. "Constant Electric Field Simulations of the Membrane Potential Illustrated with Simple Systems" BBA - Biomembranes, 1818:294-302, 2012.
  
  
• (18) R. Gamini, M. Sotomayor, C. Chipot, and K. Schulten. "Cytoplasmic domain filter function in the mechanosensitive channel of small conductance" Biophysical Journal, 101:80-89, 2011. (pdf)
  
  
• (17) D. Asenjo, F. Lund, S. Poblete, R. Soto, and M. Sotomayor. "Characterization of the melting transition in two dimensions at vanishing external pressure using molecular dynamics simulations" Physical Review B, 83:174110, 2011.
  
  
• (16) M. Sotomayor*, W. A. Weihofen*, R. Gaudet, and D. P. Corey. "Structural Determinants of Cadherin-23 Function in Hearing and Deafness" Neuron, 66:85-100, 2010.
  
  
  
• (15) E. H. Lee, J. Hsin, G. Comellas, M. Sotomayor, and K. Schulten. "Discovery through the computational microscope" Structure, 17:1295-1306, 2009. (pdf)
  
  
• (14) F. Khalili-Araghi, J. Gumbart, P. Wen, M. Sotomayor, E. Tajkhorshid, and K. Schulten. "Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Membrane Channels and Transporters" Current Opinion in Structural Biology, 19:128-137, 2009. (pdf)
  
  
• (13) V. Vasquez, M. Sotomayor, J. Cordero-Morales, K. Schulten, and E. Perozo. "A Structural Mechanism for MscS gating in lipid bilayers" Science, 321:1210-1214, 2008. (pdf)
  
  
• (12) M. Sotomayor and K. Schulten. "The Allosteric Role of the Ca++ Switch in Adhesion and Elasticity of C-Cadherin" Biophysical Journal, 94:4621-4633, 2008. (pdf)
  
  
• (11) B. Lim, E. H. Lee, M. Sotomayor, and Klaus Schulten. "Molecular basis of fibrin clot elasticity" Structure, 16:449-459, 2008. (pdf)
  
  
• (10) V. Vasquez, M. Sotomayor, D. Marien Cortes, Benoit Roux, Klaus Schulten, and Eduardo Perozo. "Three dimensional architecture of membrane-embedded MscS in the closed conformation" Journal of Molecular Biology, 378:55-70, 2008. (pdf)
  
  
• (9) M. Sotomayor and K. Schulten. "Single-Molecule Experiments in Vitro and in Silico" Science, 316:1144-1148, 2007. (pdf)
  
  
  
• (8) M. Sotomayor*, V. Vasquez*, E. Perozo, and K. Schulten. "Ion Conduction through MscS as Determined by Electrophysiology and Simulation" Biophysical Journal, 92:886-902, 2007. (pdf)
  
  
• (7) M. Gao, M. Sotomayor, E. Villa, E. Lee, and K. Schulten. "Molecular Mechanisms of Cellular Mechanics" Physical Chemistry - Chemical Physics, 8:3692-3706, 2006. (pdf)
  
  
  
• (6) M. Sotomayor*, T. A. van der Straaten*, U. Ravaioli, and K. Schulten. "Electrostatic Properties of the Mechanosensitive Channel of Small Conductance MscS" Biophysical Journal, 90:3496-3510, 2006. (pdf)
  
  
• (5) M. Sotomayor, D. P. Corey, and K. Schulten. "In Search of the Hair-Cell Gating Spring: Elastic Properties of Ankyrin and Cadherin Repeats" Structure, 13:669-682, 2005. (pdf)
  
  
• (4) E. Tajkhorshid, J. Cohen, A. Aksimentiev, M. Sotomayor, and K. Schulten. "Towards understanding membrane channels" in Bacterial ion channels and their eukaryotic homologues, Boris Martinac and Andrzej Kubalski, editors, pp 153-190. ASM Press, Washington, DC, 2005. (pdf)
  
  
• (3) M. Sotomayor and K. Schulten. "Molecular Dynamics Study of Gating in the Mechanosensitive Channel of Small Conductance MscS" Biophysical Journal, 87:3050-3065, 2004. (pdf)
  
  
• (2) D.P. Corey and M. Sotomayor. "Tightrope act" Nature, 428:901-902, 2004.
  
  
• (1) C.J. Clarke, A. Gendrin, M. Sotomayor. "The dispersal of circumstellar discs: the role of the ultraviolet switch" Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 328:485-491, 2001. (pdf)
  
  

Presentations

• "De las estrellas a la biofisica de proteinas: haciendo una carrera cientifica interdisciplinaria al andar"
  Universidad de Talca, 2012.
  
  
• "Structures and Simulated Dynamics of a Force-Conveying Cadherin Bond Essential for Inner-Ear Mechanotransduction"
  NIDCD -- NIH, 2012.
  
  
• "A Cadherin Handshake for Hearing and Balance"
  Exciting Biologies -- Forces in Biology, 2012.
  
  
• "Estructuras y Dinamica de Proteinas Esenciales para la Audicion y el Equilibrio"
  Universidad Andres Bello, 2012.
  
  
• "Estructuras y Dinamica de Proteinas Esenciales para la Audicion y el Equilibrio"
  Universidad de Chile, 2012.
  
  
• "A Cadherin Handshake for Hearing and Balance"
  Boston Area Young Chilean Investigators Symposium, 2012.
  
  
• "Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Function of Mechanosensitive Channels and Mechanical Proteins"
  Georg-August-Universitat, 2012.
  
  
• "Life under Tension: Molecular Mechanics of Sensory Transduction in the Inner Ear"
  Delft University of Technology, 2012.
  
  
• "Life under Tension: Molecular Mechanics of Sensory Transduction in the Inner Ear"
  Stanford University, 2012.
  
  
• "Life under Tension: Molecular Mechanics of Sensory Transduction in the Inner Ear"
  Johns Hopkins University, 2012.
  
  
• "Life under Tension: Molecular Mechanics of Inner-Ear Cadherins"
  UT Southwestern, 2012.
  
  
• "Life under Tension: Molecular Mechanics of Inner-Ear Cadherins"
  The Ohio State University, 2012.
  
  
• "A Cadherin Handshake for Hearing and Balance"
  Mechanical Forces in Development, 2011.
  
  
• "Molecular Mechanics of Tip-Link Cadherins"
  Eaton-Peabody Laboratories Seminar Series, 2011.
  
  
• "Structural Determinants of Tip-Link-Cadherin Function in Hearing and Deafness"
  17th International Symposium on Ca2+-Binding Proteins and Ca2+ Function in Health and Disease, 2011.
  
  
• "Structural Determinants of Tip-Link-Cadherin Function in Hearing and Deafness"
  40th Annual Meeting, Society for Neuroscience, 2010.
  
  
• "Structural Determinants of Cadherin-23 Function in Hearing and Deafness"
  33rd Midwinter Research Meeting, Association for Research in Otolaryngology, 2010.
  
  
• "Structure, Dynamics, and Elasticity of Cadherin-23 Repeats Involved in Hereditary Deafness"
  49th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology, 2009.
  
  
• "Conformational transitions underlying tension-dependent gating in prokaryotic mechanosensitive channels"
  Gordon Research Conference on Cellular Osmoregulation and Mechanotransduction, 2009.
  
  
• "Cadherin Dynamics and Molecular Mechanisms of Hereditary Deafness"
  32nd Midwinter Research Meeting, Association for Research in Otolaryngology, 2009.
  
  
• "Cadherin Dynamics and Molecular Mechanisms of Hereditary Deafness"
  Force-Gated Ion Channels: From Structure to Sensation, 2008.
  
  
• "The Allosteric Role of the Ca++ Switch in Adhesion and Elasticity of C-Cadherin"
  20th CMB-MB Annual Research Symposium, 2007.
  
  
• "Ion Conduction through the Mechanosensitive Channel of Small Conductance MscS"
  CECAM meeting Ionic Transport: from Nanopores to Biological Channels, 2007.
  
  
• "Life under Tension: Molecular Mechanisms of Mechanosensitive Channels and Mechanical Sensors"
  MCTP/ICAM Workshop Mechanics of Life: From Biomolecules to Molecular Machines, 2007.
  
  
• "Tertiary and Secondary Structure Elasticity of Repeat Proteins"
  87th International Bunsen Discussion Meeting on Mechanically Induced Chemistry -Theory and Experiment- 2005.
  
  
• "Mechanisms of Mechanosensitive Channels and Mechanical Sensors Studied by Molecular Dynamics Simulations"
  Gordon Research Conference on Mechanotransduction and Gravity Signaling in Biological Systems, 2005.

• "Structural Determinants of Cadherin-23 Function in Hearing and Deafness"
  Biophysical Society Meeting, 2010.
  
  
• "Structure, Dynamics, and Elasticity of Cadherin-23 Repeats Involved in Hereditary Deafness"
  7th Molecular Biology of Hearing and Deafness Meeting, 2009.
  
  
• "Mechanical Strength of Cadherin Binding Interfaces Suggested by Crystallography"
  Biophysical Society Meeting, 2009.
  
  
• "Ca++ Dependent Dynamics and Forced Unbinding of Classical Cadherins"
  Gordon Research Conference on Signaling by Adhesion Receptors, 2008.
  
  
• "The Allosteric Role of the Ca++ Switch in Adhesion and Elasticity of C-Cadherin"
  Biophysical Society Meeting, 2008. (html)
  
  
• "Three Dimensional Architecture of MscS N-terminus and TM Segments in the Closed State"
  Biophysical Society Meeting, 2007. (V. Vasquez, M. Sotomayor, D. M. Cortes, B. Roux, K. Schulten, E. Perozo.)
  
  
• "Tertiary and Secondary Structure Elasticity of Repeat Proteins"
  Biophysical Society Meeting, 2007. (html)
  
  
• "Ion Conduction through MscS as Determined by Electrophysiology and Simulation"
  Biophysical Society Meeting, 2007. (html)
  
  
• "Tertiary and Secondary Structure Elasticity of Ankyrin Repeats"
  Biophysical Society Meeting, 2006. (html)
  
  
• "Tertiary and Secondary Structure Elasticity of Repeat Proteins"
  IUPAB/EBSA International Biophysics Congress, 2005.
  
  
• "Is TRPA1 the Transduction Channel? Mechanics of the Ankyrin Repeat Domain"
  28th Midwinter Research Meeting, Association for Research in Otolaryngology, 2005.
  
  
• "Molecular Dynamics Study of Mechanosensation Proteins Ankyrin and Cadherin"
  Biophysical Society Meeting, 2005. (html)
  
  
• "Multiscale Modeling of Gating and Ion Conduction in the Mechanosensitive Channel of Small Conductance MscS"
  Biophysical Society Meeting, 2005. (html)
  
  
• "Molecular Dynamics Study of Gating in the Mechanosensitive Channel of Small Conductance MscS"
  Biophysical Society Meeting, 2004. (html)
  
  
• "Mechanical Properties of Ubiquitin Chains"
  Biophysical Society Meeting, 2004. (html)
  
  
• "Numerical Studies of Melting in Infinite Crystalline Solids"
  American Physical Society 2003 Annual March Meeting. (pdf)
  
  
• "The dispersal of circumstellar discs: the role of the ultraviolet switch"
  2002 International Astronomical Observatories in Chile Workshop. (pdf)

Teaching

• Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Workshops (Urbana, Boston, Chicago, Talca, Bethesda)
  • VMD Molecular Graphics Tutorial
    
  • NAMD Molecular Dynamics Tutorial
  • Membrane Proteins Tutorial
  • Water Case Study ( 3D-pdf version )

Memberships and Awards

• NIH Pathway to Independence Award K99.
• Selected to participate in the 62nd Lindau Nobel Laurate Meeting 2012.
• Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Fellowship 2009 (accepted)
• Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Fellowship 2009 (declined)
• Best Talk Prize, 2007 UIUC Molecular Biophysics Symposium
• MCC/UIUC travel award 2007
• BPS/IUPAB travel fellowship award 2005
• The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi