CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en-GB" class="vf-no-js"> <head> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://assets.emblstatic.net/vf/v2.5.0/assets/embl-favicon/assets/favicon.ico"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="https://assets.emblstatic.net/vf/v2.5.0/assets/embl-favicon/assets/apple-touch-icon.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="https://assets.emblstatic.net/vf/v2.5.0/assets/embl-favicon/assets/favicon-32x32.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="https://assets.emblstatic.net/vf/v2.5.0/assets/embl-favicon/assets/favicon-16x16.png"> <link rel="manifest" href="https://assets.emblstatic.net/vf/v2.5.0/assets/embl-favicon/assets/site.webmanifest"> <link rel="mask-icon" href="https://assets.emblstatic.net/vf/v2.5.0/assets/embl-favicon/assets/safari-pinned-tab.svg" color="#ffffff"> <meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#ffffff"> <meta name="theme-color" content="#ffffff"> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <meta class="swiftype" name="page-description" data-type="string" content="The Djinovic group studies the architecture and assembly mechanisms of sarcomeric Z-discs using an integrative structural biology approach, combining biochemical, molecular biophysics, and structural biology methods." /> <meta class="swiftype" name="what" data-type="string" content="Page" />   <title>Djinovic Group – Structure and assembly mechanisms of sarcomeric cytoskeleton</title> <meta name='robots' content='max-image-preview:large' /> <script nomodule src="https://polyfill.io/v3/polyfill.min.js?features=default"></script><script> /*! VF-WP */ // Toggle JavaScript class in <html> var $html = document.getElementsByTagName('html')[0]; $html.className = $html.className.replace(/(^|\s)vf-no-js(\s|$)/, '$1vf-js$2'); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ window._wpemojiSettings = {"baseUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/","ext":".png","svgUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/svg\/","svgExt":".svg","source":{"concatemoji":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/djinovic\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-emoji-release.min.js?ver=6.6.1"}}; /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(i,n){var o,s,e;function c(e){try{var t={supportTests:e,timestamp:(new Date).valueOf()};sessionStorage.setItem(o,JSON.stringify(t))}catch(e){}}function p(e,t,n){e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(t,0,0);var t=new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data),r=(e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(n,0,0),new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data));return t.every(function(e,t){return e===r[t]})}function u(e,t,n){switch(t){case"flag":return n(e,"\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f","\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200b\u26a7\ufe0f")?!1:!n(e,"\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3","\ud83c\uddfa\u200b\ud83c\uddf3")&&!n(e,"\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f","\ud83c\udff4\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc62\u200b\udb40\udc65\u200b\udb40\udc6e\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc7f");case"emoji":return!n(e,"\ud83d\udc26\u200d\u2b1b","\ud83d\udc26\u200b\u2b1b")}return!1}function f(e,t,n){var r="undefined"!=typeof WorkerGlobalScope&&self instanceof WorkerGlobalScope?new OffscreenCanvas(300,150):i.createElement("canvas"),a=r.getContext("2d",{willReadFrequently:!0}),o=(a.textBaseline="top",a.font="600 32px Arial",{});return e.forEach(function(e){o[e]=t(a,e,n)}),o}function t(e){var t=i.createElement("script");t.src=e,t.defer=!0,i.head.appendChild(t)}"undefined"!=typeof Promise&&(o="wpEmojiSettingsSupports",s=["flag","emoji"],n.supports={everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},e=new Promise(function(e){i.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",e,{once:!0})}),new Promise(function(t){var n=function(){try{var e=JSON.parse(sessionStorage.getItem(o));if("object"==typeof e&&"number"==typeof e.timestamp&&(new Date).valueOf()<e.timestamp+604800&&"object"==typeof e.supportTests)return e.supportTests}catch(e){}return null}();if(!n){if("undefined"!=typeof Worker&&"undefined"!=typeof OffscreenCanvas&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&URL.createObjectURL&&"undefined"!=typeof Blob)try{var e="postMessage("+f.toString()+"("+[JSON.stringify(s),u.toString(),p.toString()].join(",")+"));",r=new Blob([e],{type:"text/javascript"}),a=new Worker(URL.createObjectURL(r),{name:"wpTestEmojiSupports"});return void(a.onmessage=function(e){c(n=e.data),a.terminate(),t(n)})}catch(e){}c(n=f(s,u,p))}t(n)}).then(function(e){for(var t in e)n.supports[t]=e[t],n.supports.everything=n.supports.everything&&n.supports[t],"flag"!==t&&(n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&n.supports[t]);n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&!n.supports.flag,n.DOMReady=!1,n.readyCallback=function(){n.DOMReady=!0}}).then(function(){return e}).then(function(){var e;n.supports.everything||(n.readyCallback(),(e=n.source||{}).concatemoji?t(e.concatemoji):e.wpemoji&&e.twemoji&&(t(e.twemoji),t(e.wpemoji)))}))}((window,document),window._wpemojiSettings); /* ]]> */ </script> <style id='wp-emoji-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> img.wp-smiley, img.emoji { display: inline !important; border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; height: 1em !important; width: 1em !important; margin: 0 0.07em !important; vertical-align: -0.1em !important; background: none !important; padding: 0 !important; } </style> <style id='classic-theme-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> /*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} </style> <style id='global-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> :root{--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--square: 1;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--4-3: 4/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-4: 3/4;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-2: 3/2;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--2-3: 2/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--16-9: 16/9;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--9-16: 9/16;--wp--preset--color--black: #000000;--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray: #abb8c3;--wp--preset--color--white: #ffffff;--wp--preset--color--pale-pink: #f78da7;--wp--preset--color--vivid-red: #cf2e2e;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange: #ff6900;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber: #fcb900;--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan: #7bdcb5;--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan: #00d084;--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue: #8ed1fc;--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue: #0693e3;--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple: #9b51e0;--wp--preset--color--grey: #707372;--wp--preset--color--green: #009f4d;--wp--preset--color--blue: #307fe2;--wp--preset--color--red: #e40046;--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(6,147,227,1) 0%,rgb(155,81,224) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(122,220,180) 0%,rgb(0,208,130) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(252,185,0,1) 0%,rgba(255,105,0,1) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(255,105,0,1) 0%,rgb(207,46,46) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(238,238,238) 0%,rgb(169,184,195) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(74,234,220) 0%,rgb(151,120,209) 20%,rgb(207,42,186) 40%,rgb(238,44,130) 60%,rgb(251,105,98) 80%,rgb(254,248,76) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,206,236) 0%,rgb(152,150,240) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(254,205,165) 0%,rgb(254,45,45) 50%,rgb(107,0,62) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,203,112) 0%,rgb(199,81,192) 50%,rgb(65,88,208) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,245,203) 0%,rgb(182,227,212) 50%,rgb(51,167,181) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(202,248,128) 0%,rgb(113,206,126) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--midnight: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(2,3,129) 0%,rgb(40,116,252) 100%);--wp--preset--font-size--small: 14px;--wp--preset--font-size--medium: 20px;--wp--preset--font-size--large: 19px;--wp--preset--font-size--x-large: 42px;--wp--preset--font-size--extra-small: 13.99px;--wp--preset--font-size--regular: 16px;--wp--preset--font-size--extra-large: 32px;--wp--preset--spacing--20: 0.44rem;--wp--preset--spacing--30: 0.67rem;--wp--preset--spacing--40: 1rem;--wp--preset--spacing--50: 1.5rem;--wp--preset--spacing--60: 2.25rem;--wp--preset--spacing--70: 3.38rem;--wp--preset--spacing--80: 5.06rem;--wp--preset--shadow--natural: 6px 6px 9px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--deep: 12px 12px 50px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);--wp--preset--shadow--sharp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--outlined: 6px 6px 0px -3px rgba(255, 255, 255, 1), 6px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);--wp--preset--shadow--crisp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);}:where(.is-layout-flex){gap: 0.5em;}:where(.is-layout-grid){gap: 0.5em;}body .is-layout-flex{display: flex;}.is-layout-flex{flex-wrap: wrap;align-items: center;}.is-layout-flex > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}body .is-layout-grid{display: grid;}.is-layout-grid > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;}.has-black-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red) !important;}.has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-cool-to-warm-spectrum-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum) !important;}.has-blush-light-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple) !important;}.has-blush-bordeaux-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux) !important;}.has-luminous-dusk-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk) !important;}.has-pale-ocean-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean) !important;}.has-electric-grass-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass) !important;}.has-midnight-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--midnight) !important;}.has-small-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important;}.has-medium-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium) !important;}.has-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large) !important;}.has-x-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--x-large) !important;} :where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;} :where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;} :root :where(.wp-block-pullquote){font-size: 1.5em;line-height: 1.6;} </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='widgetopts-styles-css' href='https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/plugins/widget-options/assets/css/widget-options.css' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='parent-style-css' href='https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/themes/vf-wp/style.css?ver=6.6.1' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='child-style-css' href='https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/themes/vf-wp-groups/style.css?ver=1.0.0-beta.5' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='vfwp-css' href='https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/themes/vf-wp/assets/css/styles.css?ver=1.0.0-beta.5' type='text/css' media='all' /> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/themes/vf-wp-groups/scripts/jplist.min.js?ver=6.6.1" id="jplist-js"></script> <link rel="https://api.w.org/" href="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-json/" /><link rel="alternate" title="JSON" type="application/json" href="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/15" /><link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/xmlrpc.php?rsd" /> <meta name="generator" content="WordPress 6.6.1" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/" /> <link rel='shortlink' href='https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/' /> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (JSON)" type="application/json+oembed" href="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.embl.org%2Fgroups%2Fdjinovic%2F" /> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (XML)" type="text/xml+oembed" href="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.embl.org%2Fgroups%2Fdjinovic%2F&format=xml" /> <meta name="embl:who" content="Kristina Djinovic Carugo" uuid="f003c7e9-baac-4ead-94f6-d82aaab88b01"> <meta name="embl:what" content="Djinovic Group" uuid="fc60cf4d-273c-4b6f-bb35-edd9f8be72ab"> <meta name="embl:active" content="what">  <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-QZCS800LM6"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-QZCS800LM6'); </script> <style type="text/css"> #wpadminbar { margin-top: 0px !important; } </style></head> <body class="home page-template-default page page-id-15 wp-embed-responsive vf-wp-theme vf-body vf-stack vf-stack--400"> <div class="vf-content-hub-html" data-cache="bda115a5">  <div data-embl-js-conditional-edit="108434"> <header class="vf-header" data-vf-google-analytics-region="embl-header"> <div class="vf-global-header"> <a href="//www.embl.org" class="embl-logo"><span class="vf-u-sr-only" for="text">European Molecular Biology Laboratory Home</span></a> <nav class="vf-navigation vf-navigation--global | vf-cluster"> <ul class="vf-navigation__list | vf-list | vf-cluster__inner"> <li class="vf-navigation__item"> <a href="https://www.embl.org/directory" class="vf-navigation__link">Directory</a> </li> <li class="vf-navigation__item"> <a href="https://www.embl.org/search" class="vf-navigation__link">Search</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </header> <a class="vf-text vf-text--body-r vf-link embl-conditional-edit" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://content.embl.org/node/108434" target="_blank">Edit</a> </div> </div> <nav class="vf-breadcrumbs embl-breadcrumbs-lookup" aria-label="Breadcrumb" data-embl-js-breadcrumbs-lookup> <div class="vf-list vf-list--inline | vf-breadcrumbs__list | embl-breadcrumbs-lookup--ghosting"></div> </nav> <section class="vf-hero | vf-u-fullbleed | vf-hero-- | vf-u-margin__bottom--0"> <style> .vf-hero { --vf-hero--bg-image-size: auto 28.5rem; } </style> <div class="vf-hero__content | vf-box | vf-stack vf-stack--400"> <h1 class="vf-hero__heading"> <a class="vf-hero__heading_link" href="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic"> Djinovic Group </a> </h1> <p class="vf-hero__subheading">  Structure and assembly mechanisms of sarcomeric cytoskeleton </p> </div> </section>  <nav class="vf-navigation vf-navigation--main | vf-cluster"> <ul class="vf-navigation__list | vf-list | vf-cluster__inner"> <li id="menu-item-17" class="vf-navigation__item vf-navigation__item vf-navigation__item vf-navigation__item"><a href="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/" aria-current="page" class="vf-navigation__link">Home</a></li> <li id="menu-item-44" class="vf-navigation__item vf-navigation__item vf-navigation__item vf-navigation__item"><a href="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/members/" class="vf-navigation__link">Members</a></li> <li id="menu-item-43" class="vf-navigation__item vf-navigation__item vf-navigation__item vf-navigation__item"><a href="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/publications/" class="vf-navigation__link">Publications</a></li> <li id="menu-item-2166" class="vf-navigation__item vf-navigation__item vf-navigation__item vf-navigation__item"><a href="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/fellow-opportunities/" class="vf-navigation__link">Fellow opportunities</a></li> </ul> </nav>   <div class="vf-grid | vf-grid__col-3">  <div class="vf-grid__col--span-2"> <div class="vf-content">  <p class="vf-lede"><div class="vf-grid__col--span-2"> <div class="vf-content-hub-html"> <div data-embl-js-conditional-edit="161703"> <h1 class="vf-lede">The Djinovic group studies the architecture and assembly mechanisms of sarcomeric Z-discs using an integrative structural biology approach, combining biochemical, molecular biophysics, and structural biology methods</h1> </div> </div> </div></p>  </div> </div>  <div class=""> <div class="vf-content">  <div class="vf-content-hub-html" data-cache="9f4d7ff2">  <article class="vf-profile vf-profile--very-easy vf-profile--medium vf-profile--inline" data-embl-js-conditional-edit="154079"> <img decoding="async" class="vf-profile__image" src="https://content.embl.org//sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/persons/CP-60004689.jpg?itok=aV8JmSYO" alt="image of Kristina Djinovic Carugo" /> <h3 class="vf-profile__title"> <a href="https://www.embl.org/people/person/kdjinovic" class="vf-profile__link">Kristina Djinovic Carugo</a> </h3> <p class="vf-profile__job-title"> Head of EMBL Grenoble </p> <p class="vf-profile__uuid"> <span>ORCID:</span> <a class="vf-profile__link vf-profile__link--secondary" href="https://europepmc.org/authors/0000-0003-0252-2972"> 0000-0003-0252-2972 </a> </p> <a class="vf-text vf-text--body-r vf-link embl-conditional-edit" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://content.embl.org/node/154079" target="_blank"> Edit </a> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div>  <div class="vf-grid | vf-grid__col-3">  <div class="vf-grid__col--span-2"> <div class="vf-content">  <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Previous and current research</h3>  <p>Movement is vital to all living organisms, from the transport of cellular organelles to the movement of entire organisms. Sarcomeres are the smallest contractile units of striated skeletal and heart muscles. The Z-disc is the attachment region for actin filaments from adjacent sarcomeres and plays a pivotal role not only as an anchoring point of actin filaments, sustaining muscle architecture, but also in signalling, mechanosensing, mechanotransduction, protein turnover, and autophagy. During myofibril formation, Z-bodies, small complexes of assemblies composed of essential Z-discs, grow in size, fuse, and align to form Z-discs (Figure 1). We are interested in the molecular mechanisms underlying the architecture and assembly of Z-discs.</p>  <p>Other research lines focus on studies of bacterial metallo-enzymes involved in protection from chemical and oxidative damage and in catalysing the complete ammonium oxidation cycle.</p>  <p>In order to dissect the Z-disc structure and assembly at a molecular level, we use a combination of biochemical, molecular biophysics, and complementary structural biology methods such as X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, atomic force microscopy, and NMR on reconstituted complexes and their individual components. This blend of approaches uncovers biochemical and biophysical properties of macromolecules and their interactions, and gives structural information at different scales of resolution – from atomic to molecular to ultrastructural. These structural and functional data are in turn validated <em>in vitro</em> and <em>in cellula</em>, by structure-informed, molecular, structural, and cellular biophysics studies (the last in collaboration). Finally, we combine these experimental data with integrative modelling to generate structural models of Z-disc assemblies.</p>  <p>In parallel, we are developing methods for rectification of protein generation, crystallogenesis, and for structural studies and modelling of intrinsically disordered proteins (<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00726-014-1699-x">Mlynek <em>et al.</em>, <em>Amino Acids</em>, 2014</a>; <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.cgd.9b01328">Mlynek <em>et al.</em>, <em>Crystal Growth & Design</em>, 2019</a>; <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pro.3986">Kotov <em>et al.</em>, <em>Prot Sci</em>, 2021</a>).</p>  <p><strong>Structure and PIP2 regulation mechanism of human α-actinin</strong></p>  <p>Actin is one of the most abundant proteins in eukaryotic cells. Actin filaments, together with a large number of actin-binding proteins, are critical players in many cellular functions, ranging from cell motility and muscle contraction to maintenance of cell shape and transcription regulation. α-Actinin, an archetypical F-actin-binding and bundling protein, is the major protein in muscle Z-discs, where it cross-links actin filaments from adjacent sarcomeres. We determined the first complete structure of α-actinin from striated muscle and explored its functional implications on the biochemical and cellular levels. The structure provides insight into the mechanism of α-actinin regulation by PiP2 and the intramolecular pseudoligand autoinhibition mechanism. It also offers a foundation to study interactions with Z-disc partners and effects of pathogenic mutations with molecular resolution and mechanistic insight (Ribeiro <em>et al.</em>, <em>Cell</em>, 2014).</p>  <p><strong>Structure and calcium regulation mechanism of ancestral α-actinin</strong></p>  <p>While muscle α-actinin is regulated by PiP2, Ca<sup>2+</sup> inhibits α-actinin capacity to bundle actin filaments in non-muscle cells. We determined the structure of an ancestral Ca<sup>2+</sup>-regulated α-actinin from <em>Entamoeba histolytica</em> and proposed a molecular mechanism for its regulation. We uncovered that Ca<sup>2+</sup> binding triggers an increase in protein rigidity, leading to reduced conformational flexibility and bundling activity. The proposed molecular mechanism is likely to be a blueprint for the regulation of spectrin-like proteins (<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/117/36/22101">Pinotsis <em>et al.</em>, <em>PNAS</em>, 2020</a>).</p>  <p><strong>Myotilin as a regulator of sarcomere assembly</strong></p>  <p>Myotilin is a Z-disc scaffold protein that provides structural integrity by multiple interactions, including with actin filaments and α-actinin-2. We generated the first integrative structural model of its complex with actin filaments. We further showed that myotilin displaces tropomyosin from F-actin, implying a novel role of myotilin in sarcomere biogenesis beyond acting as an interaction hub for Z-disc partners (Figure 2A) (<a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.300114">Kostan <em>et al.</em>, <em>PLOS Biol</em>, 2021</a>).</p>  <p><strong>Order from disorder in the sarcomere</strong></p>  <p>In sarcomeres, α-actinin crosslinks actin filaments and anchors them to the Z-discs. FATZ proteins interact with α-actinin and five other core Z-disk proteins, contributing to myofibril assembly and maintenance as a protein interaction hub. We determined the first structure of α-actinin-2 in complex with a Z-disk partner, FATZ-1, which is best described as a conformational ensemble, and carried out its cellular validation. We showed that FATZ-1 forms a tight fuzzy complex with α-actinin-2 and proposed a molecular interaction mechanism via main molecular recognition elements and secondary binding sites. The obtained integrative model reveals a polar architecture of the complex which, in combination with FATZ-1 multivalent scaffold function, might organise interaction partners and stabilise α-actinin-2 preferential orientation in the Z-discs (Figure 2B). Furthermore, we uncovered FATZ-1 ability to phase-separate and form biomolecular condensates with α-actinin-2, raising the tantalizing question of whether FATZ proteins can create an interaction hub for Z-disc proteins through membrane-less compartmentalisation during myofibrillogenesis (Figure 2C) (<a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abg7653">Sponga <em>et al.</em>, <em>Sci Adv</em>, 2021</a>).</p>  <figure class="vf-figure wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/djinovic-group-figure2.jpg"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="1024" height="382" class="vf-figure__image" src="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/djinovic-group-figure2-1024x382.jpg" alt="illustration showing protein structures" class="wp-image-93" srcset="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/djinovic-group-figure2-1024x382.jpg 1024w, https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/djinovic-group-figure2-300x112.jpg 300w, https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/djinovic-group-figure2-768x286.jpg 768w, https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/djinovic-group-figure2-1536x573.jpg 1536w, https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/djinovic-group-figure2.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="vf-figure__caption">Figure 2: (A) Model illustrating the role of myotilin in the organisation of sarcomeric Z-disc assembly. (B) Model for the binding mechanism of the fuzzy α-actinin-2/FATZ-1 complex and potential implications in Z-disk ultrastructure and biogenesis. (C) Model of F-actin/α-actinin-2/FATZ-1 (F-actin in light and dark gray) based on a cryo–electron tomography structure of the Z-disc (DOI: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-01321-5" target="_blank">10.1038/s42003-020-01321-5) </a>and our integrative model. FATZ-1 phase-separates and forms biomolecular condensates with α-actinin-2. FATZ-1 condensates are prevented and dissolved by increasing concentrations of α-actinin-2, opening a potential novel avenue for sarcomere biogenesis starting from FATZ-1 condensates.</figcaption></figure>  <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Future projects and goals</h3>  <p>Our future goals are to contribute to the mechanistic understanding of the following questions:</p>  <ul class="wp-block-list"><li>How are Z-disc proteins assembled from Z-bodies? How do they go from initial poorly ordered assemblies to highly ordered, albeit plastic complexes able to transmit force along myofibrils? Do reconstituted Z-body assemblies <em>in vitro</em> and Z-bodies <em>in cellula</em> have properties of macromolecular condensates?</li><li>What is the hierarchy and cooperativity of interactions in sarcomeric biogenesis?</li><li>What is the role of PTMs and how do disease mutations underlying (cardio)myopathies disrupt this finely tuned assembly?</li></ul> </div> </div>  <div class=""> <div class="vf-content">  <figure class="vf-figure wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/djinovic-group-figure1.jpg"><img decoding="async" width="666" height="707" class="vf-figure__image" src="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/djinovic-group-figure1.jpg" alt="Illustration showing the Z-disc assembly process" class="wp-image-92" srcset="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/djinovic-group-figure1.jpg 666w, https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/djinovic-group-figure1-283x300.jpg 283w" sizes="(max-width: 666px) 100vw, 666px" /></a><figcaption class="vf-figure__caption">Figure 1: Z-disc assembly is an ordered process whose hierarchy is encoded into specificities of intermolecular interactions.</figcaption></figure> </div> </div> </div> <div class="vf-content-hub-html" data-cache="d39a97ac">  <div data-embl-js-conditional-edit="108436"> <footer class="vf-footer" data-vf-google-analytics-region="embl-footer"> <div class="vf-footer__links-group | vf-grid vf-grid__col-5" style="border-top: none; /* temporary until VF update */"> <section class="vf-links vf-grid__col--span-3"> <p class="vf-footer__notice"> EMBL is Europe’s life sciences laboratory – an intergovernmental organisation with more than 80 independent research groups covering the spectrum of molecular biology. </p> <div class="vf-section-header"> <a href="/directory/" style="color: white !important;" class="vf-button vf-button--primary vf-button--sm">View the EMBL.org directory</a> <p class="vf-section-header__text"> <span class="vf-u-text--nowrap"> </span></p> </div> </section> <section class="vf-links"> <h4 class="vf-links__heading"><a class="vf-heading__link" href="https://www.embl.org/about/missions/">Missions</a></h4> <ul class="vf-links__list | vf-list"> <li class="vf-list__item"> <a href="https://www.embl.org/research/" class="vf-list__link">Research</a> </li> <li class="vf-list__item"> <a href="https://www.embl.org/services-facilities/" class="vf-list__link">Scientific services</a> </li> <li class="vf-list__item"> <a href="https://www.embl.org/training/" class="vf-list__link">Training</a> </li> <li class="vf-list__item"> <a href="https://www.embl.org/industry/" class="vf-list__link">Innovation and Translation</a> </li> <li class="vf-list__item"> <a href="https://www.embl.org/international-relations/" class="vf-list__link">Integration of Life Sciences</a> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="vf-links"> <h4 class="vf-links__heading"><a class="vf-heading__link" href="https://www.embl.org/about/">About</a></h4> <ul class="vf-links__list | vf-list"> <li class="vf-list__item"> <a href="https://www.embl.org/contact/" class="vf-list__link">Contact us</a> </li> <li class="vf-list__item"> <a href="https://www.embl.org/events/" class="vf-list__link">Events</a> </li> <li class="vf-list__item"> <a href="https://embl.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com/EMBL" class="vf-list__link">Jobs</a> </li> <li class="vf-list__item"> <a href="https://www.embl.org/news/" class="vf-list__link">News</a> </li> <li class="vf-list__item"> <a href="https://www.embl.org/people/" class="vf-list__link">People directory</a> </li> <li class="vf-list__item"> <a href="https://www.embl.org/social-media/" class="vf-list__link">Social media</a> </li> </ul> </section> </div> <p class="vf-footer__legal" style=""> <span class="vf-footer__legal-text"><a class="vf-footer__link" href="https://www.embl.org/info/privacy-policy/">Privacy policy</a></span> <span class="vf-footer__legal-text"><a class="vf-footer__link" href="https://www.embl.org/about/open-science/">Open science</a></span> <span class="vf-footer__legal-text"><a class="vf-footer__link" href="https://www.embl.org/about/research-assessment/">Research Assessment</a></span> <span class="vf-footer__legal-text">© EMBL 2025</span> <span class="vf-footer__legal-text" style="grid-row: 1/-1;grid-column: 12;"> <a class="vf-footer__link" href="https://www.embl.org/internal-information/">Intranet for staff</a> </span> </p> </footer> <a class="vf-text vf-text--body-r vf-link embl-conditional-edit" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://content.embl.org/node/108436" target="_blank">Edit</a> </div> </div> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/themes/vf-wp/assets/scripts/jquery-3.4.1.min.js?ver=3.4.1" id="jquery-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.embl.org/groups/djinovic/wp-content/themes/vf-wp/assets/scripts/scripts.js?ver=1.0.0-beta.5" id="vf-scripts-js"></script> </body> </html>