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Matthew Lang

Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics


Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering


Intellectual Neighborhoods

Research Focus

Lang Laboratory

  • Biological motors: We have a variety of projects surrounding the study of biological motors. In particular, we are probing the machinery of the ClpXP motor protease, which destroys proteins tagged for removal from cells. ClpXP is a member of the AAA+ class of mechanoenzymes, cellular engines that power many processes, such as protein degradation, DNA replication, membrane fusion and motility along microtubules. ClpXP performs many tasks including recognition, unfolding, translocation, denaturation and degradation of proteins. We employ both a single molecule fluorescence and mechanical assay to probe the machinery of ClpXP.
  • Cell signaling and immunology: Our body's natural defense system employs antigen recognition and signaling through specialized cells known as lymphocytes. Cell antigen interactions, that mimic natural events such as encountering an antigen coated bead, are actively created with our automated optical traps to investigate the signaling machinery of the antigen receptor. Downstream cellular response is probed through both fluorescence imaging and physical measurement.

Representative Recent Publications:

(for a full listing, click here and follow the research link)

Collective Force Regulation in Anti-parallel Microtubule Gliding by Dimeric Kif15 Kinesin Motors 
Dana N. Reinemann, Emma G. Sturgill, Dibyendu Kumar Das, Miriam Steiner Degen, Zsuzsanna Vörös, Wonmuk Hwang, Ryoma Ohi, and Matthew J. Lang
(2017) Current Biology PDF

Mechanosensing drives acuity of αβ T-cell recognition 
Yinnian Feng, Kristine N. Brazin, Eiji Kobayashi, Robert J. Mallis, Ellis L. Reinherz, and Matthew J. Lang
(2017) PNAS PDF

The Nesprin-Cytoskeleton Interface Probed Directly on Single Nuclei is a Mechanically Rich System 
Daniel A. Balikov, Sonia K. Brady, Ung Hyun Ko, Jennifer H. Shin, Jose M. de Pereda , Arnoud Sonnenberg , Hak-Joon Sung & Matthew J. Lang
(2017) Nucleus PDF

Rational Development of Near-Infrared Fluorophores with Large Stokes Shifts, Bright One-Photon, and Two-Photon Emissions for Bioimaging and Biosensing Applications 
Liyi Zhou, Qianqian Wang, Yi Tan, Matthew J. Lang, Hongyan Sun and Xiaogang Liu
(2017) Chem. Eur. J. PDF

Modulating aggregation-induced emission via a non-conjugated linkage of fluorophores to tetraphenylethenes 
Xie Han, Bibo Zhang, Jianhua Chen, Sheng Hua Liu, Chunyan Tan, Haiyang Liu, Matthew J. Lang, Ying Tan, Xiaogang Liu and Jun Yin
(2017) J. Mater. Chem. B PDF

Mechanically Watching the ClpXP Proteolytic Machinery 
Juan Carlos Cordova, Adrian O. Olivares, and Matthew J. Lang
(2017) Arne Gennerich (ed.), Optical Tweezers: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology PDF

Pre-TCRs leverage Vβ CDRs and hydrophobic patch in mechanosensing thymic self-ligands 
Dibyendu Kumar Das, Robert J. Mallis, Jonathan S. Duke-Cohan, Rebecca E. Hussey, Paul W. Tetteh, Mark Hilton, Gerhard Wagner, Matthew J. Lang and Ellis L. Reinherz
(2016) JBC PDF

Aziridinyl fluorophores demonstrate bright fluorescence and superior photostability through effectively inhibiting twisted intramolecular charge transfer 
Xiaogang Liu, Qinglong Qiao, Wenming Tian, Wenjuan Liu, Jie Chen, Matthew J. Lang, Zhaochao Xu
(2016) Journal of American Chemical Society PDF

Cellobiohydrolase 1 from Trichoderma reesei degrades cellulose in single cellobiose steps 
Sonia K. Brady, Sarangapani Sreelatha, Yinnian Feng, Shishir P.S. Chundawat & Matthew J. Lang
(2015) Nat. Commun. PDF

Structural features of the αβTCR mechanotransduction apparatus that promote pMHC discrimination 
Kristine N. Brazin, Robert J. Mallis, Dibyendu K. Das, Yinnian Feng, Wonmuk Hwang, Jia-huai Wang1, Gerhard Wagner, Matthew J. Lang and Ellis L. Reinherz
(2015) Front. Immunol.

Biased Brownian motion as a mechanism to facilitate nanometer-scale exploration of the microtubule plus end by a kinesin-8 
Yongdae Shin, Yaqing Du, Scott E. Collier, Melanie D. Ohi, Matthew J. Lang, and Ryoma Ohi
(2015) PNAS PDF

Single-Particle Spectroscopic Study on Fluorescence Enhancement by Plasmon Coupled Gold Nanorod Dimers Assembled on DNA Origami. 
Taishi Zhang, Nengyue Gao, Shuang Li, Matthew J. Lang and Qing-Hua Xu
(2015) J. Phys. Chem. Lett. PDF

A force-dependent transition in the T cell receptor β subunit allosterically regulates peptide discrimination and pMHC bond lifetime. 
Dibyendu Kumar Das, Yinnian Feng, Robert J Mallis, Xiaolong Li, Derin B. Keskin, Rebecca E. Hussey, Sonia K. Brady, Jia-Huai Wang, Gerhard Wagner, Ellis L Reinherz and Matthew J. Lang. 
(2015) PNAS PDF

Research and education at the crossroads of biology and physics. 
Mel Sabella and Matthew J. Lang. 
(2014) American Journal of Physics 82 365. PDF

Combining Single-Molecule Manipulation and Single-Molecule Detection. 
Juan Carlos Cordova, Dibyendu Kumar Das, Harris W. Manning and Matthew J. Lang. 
(2014) Current Opinion in Structural Biology 28 142-148. PDF

Stochastic but Highly Coordinated Protein Unfolding and Translocation by the ClpXP Proteolytic Machine. 
Juan Carlos Cordova, Adrian O. Olivares, Yongdae Shin, Benjamin M. Stinson, Stephane Calmat, Karl R. Schmitz, Marie-Eve Aubin-Tam, Tania A. Baker, Matthew J. Lang and Robert T. Sauer. 
(2014) Cell 158 647-658. PDF

Kinesin-12 Kif15 targets kinetochore-fibers via an intrinsic two-step mechanism. 
Emma G. Sturgill, Dibyendu Kumar Das, Yoshimasa Takizawa, Yongdae Shin, Scott Collier, Melanie D. Ohi, Wonmuk Hwang, Matthew J. Lang, Ryoma Ohi. 
(2014) Current Biology 24 2307-2313. PDF

Modular Aspects of Kinesin Force Generation Machinery. 
William R. Hesse, Miriam Steiner, Matthew L. Wohlever, Roger D. Kamm, Wonmuk Hwang and Matthew J. Lang. 
(2012) Biophysical Journal 104 1-10. PDF

TCR mechanobiology: torques and tunable structures linked to early T cell signaling. 
Sun Taek Kim, Yongdae Shin, Kristine Brazin, Robert J. Mallis, Zhen-Yu J. Sun, Gerhard Wagner, Matthew J. Lang and Ellis L. Reinherz. 
(2012) Frontiers in Immunology 3 1-8. PDF

Stochastic optical active rheology. 
Hyungsuk Lee, Yongdae Shin, Sun Taek Kim, Ellis L. Reinherz and Matthew J. Lang. 
(2012) Applied Physics Letters 101 031902. PDF

Maximal Force Characteristics of the Ca2+-Powered Actuator of Vorticella convallaria. 
Sangjin Ryu, Matthew J. Lang and Paul Matsudaira. 
(2012) Biophysical Journal 103 860-867. PDF

Nucleotide-dependent control of internal strains in ring-shaped AAA+ motors. 
Hwang, W. and Lang, M. 
(2012) Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering 1-9. PDF

Single-Molecule Protein Unfolding and Translocation by an ATP-Fueled Proteolytic Machine. 
Marie-Eve Aubin-Tam, Adrian O. Olivares, Robert T. Sauer, Tania A. Baker and Matthew J. Lang. 
(2011) Cell 145 257-267. PDF

Physical Properties of Polymorphic Yeast Prion Amyloid Fibers. 
Carlos E. Castro, Jijun Dong, Mary C. Boyce, Susan Lindquist and Matthew J. Lang. 
(2011) Biophysical Journal 101 439-448. PDF

A microfluidic system with optical laser tweezers to study mechanotransduction and focal adhesion recruitment. 
Peyman Honarmandi, Hyungsuk Lee, Matthew J. Lang and Roger D. Kamm. 
(2011) Lab Chip 11 684-694. PDF

Quantification of Urinary Stone Volume: Attenuation Threshold-based CT Method-A Technical Note. 
Shadpour Demehri, Mannudeep K. Kalra, Frank J. Rybicki, Michael L. Steigner, Matthew J. Lang, E. Andres Houseman, Gary C. Curhan, Stuart G. Silverman. 
(2011) Radiology 258 915-922. PDF