Joel Butterwick, PhD
Research & Publications
Biography
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Research Summary
Olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste) systems face the fundamental challenge to accurately detect and distinguish an almost limitless chemical landscape. The first animal chemoreceptors were identified almost thirty years ago, yet it remains unclear how these receptors recognize different chemical ligands. The Butterwick laboratory seeks to fill this critical void by leveraging a structure-based approach to investigate how olfactory and gustatory receptors function, with a particular emphasis on receptors involved in host seeking by insect vectors of human disease. We use cryo-electron microscopy to obtain atomic-resolution structural information, and a variety of biochemical, biophysical, and electrophysiological techniques to gain insight into receptor activity. Our ultimate goal is to elucidate the basic principles of chemical recognition so that we may understand how our senses of smell and taste decipher the chemical world.
Research Interests
Biochemistry; Biophysics; Electrophysiology; Pharmacology; Smell; Taste; Cryoelectron Microscopy; Ligand-Gated Ion Channels
Public Health Interests
Mosquito-borne Diseases; Vector-borne Diseases
Selected Publications
- Cryo-EM structure of the insect olfactory receptor OrcoButterwick JA, del Mármol J, Kim KH, Kahlson MA, Rogow JA, Walz T, Ruta V. Cryo-EM structure of the insect olfactory receptor Orco. Nature 2018, 560: 447-452. PMID: 30111839, PMCID: PMC6129982, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0420-8.
- The molecular basis of sugar detection by an insect taste receptorGomes J, Singh-Bhagania S, Cenci M, Chacon Cordon C, Singh M, Butterwick J. The molecular basis of sugar detection by an insect taste receptor. Nature 2024, 1-3. PMID: 38447670, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07255-w.
- Conformational Preferences Underlying Reduced Activity of a Thermophilic Ribonuclease HStafford KA, Trbovic N, Butterwick JA, Abel R, Friesner RA, Palmer AG. Conformational Preferences Underlying Reduced Activity of a Thermophilic Ribonuclease H. Journal Of Molecular Biology 2014, 427: 853-866. PMID: 25550198, PMCID: PMC4349505, DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2014.11.023.
- Phosphatidic acid modulation of Kv channel voltage sensor functionHite RK, Butterwick JA, MacKinnon R. Phosphatidic acid modulation of Kv channel voltage sensor function. ELife 2014, 3: e04366. PMID: 25285449, PMCID: PMC4212207, DOI: 10.7554/elife.04366.
- Solution Structure and Phospholipid Interactions of the Isolated Voltage-Sensor Domain from KvAPButterwick JA, MacKinnon R. Solution Structure and Phospholipid Interactions of the Isolated Voltage-Sensor Domain from KvAP. Journal Of Molecular Biology 2010, 403: 591-606. PMID: 20851706, PMCID: PMC2971526, DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2010.09.012.
- Pulsed Electron−Electron Double-Resonance Determination of Spin-Label Distances and Orientations on the Tetrameric Potassium Ion Channel KcsAEndeward B, Butterwick JA, MacKinnon R, Prisner TF. Pulsed Electron−Electron Double-Resonance Determination of Spin-Label Distances and Orientations on the Tetrameric Potassium Ion Channel KcsA. Journal Of The American Chemical Society 2009, 131: 15246-15250. PMID: 19919160, PMCID: PMC2779547, DOI: 10.1021/ja904808n.
- An inserted Gly residue fine tunes dynamics between mesophilic and thermophilic ribonucleases HButterwick JA, Palmer AG. An inserted Gly residue fine tunes dynamics between mesophilic and thermophilic ribonucleases H. Protein Science 2006, 15: 2697-2707. PMID: 17088323, PMCID: PMC2242442, DOI: 10.1110/ps.062398606.
- Solution Structure of the Vts1 SAM Domain in the Presence of RNAEdwards TA, Butterwick JA, Zeng L, Gupta YK, Wang X, Wharton RP, Palmer AG, Aggarwal AK. Solution Structure of the Vts1 SAM Domain in the Presence of RNA. Journal Of Molecular Biology 2005, 356: 1065-1072. PMID: 16405996, DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2005.12.004.
- Multiple Time Scale Backbone Dynamics of Homologous Thermophilic and Mesophilic Ribonuclease HI EnzymesButterwick JA, Loria JP, Astrof NS, Kroenke CD, Cole R, Rance M, Palmer AG. Multiple Time Scale Backbone Dynamics of Homologous Thermophilic and Mesophilic Ribonuclease HI Enzymes. Journal Of Molecular Biology 2004, 339: 855-871. PMID: 15165855, DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2004.03.055.