Landau - פקולטה לביולוגיה Biology Faculty

Education/ Resume:

2020-Present Visiting Group Leader, The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Hamburg, Germany.

2019-present Associate Professor, The Faculty of Biology at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

2012-2018 Assistant Professor, The Faculty of Biology at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

2007-2012 Post-doctoral scholar, University of California, Los Angeles, USA. Adviser: Prof. David Eisenberg.

2002-2007 Ph.D. Biochemistry, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. Adviser: Prof. Nir Ben-Tal.

2000-2002 M.Sc. Neurobiology Summa cum laude, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. Adviser: Prof. Nava Zisapel.

1995-2000 B.Sc. Pharm. (Bachelor of Pharmacy) Magna cum laude. The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.

Research Summary

Our lab pioneered the atomic-level analysis of structure-function relationships in bacterial amyloids and published the first structures of bacterial amyloid fibrils involved in cytotoxicity, antibacterial activity and biofilm structuring. In particular, the discovery of a novel class of cross-α amyloid fibrils of toxic peptides presented novel protein architectures, offered drug targets and leads, and opened a fresh perspective to study amyloid-related toxicity.

Moreover, our lab revealed that amyloids secreted by enterobacteria show similarities in molecular structures to human amyloids involved in neurodegenerative diseases and followingly repurposed anti-Alzheimer’s drugs to be used as anti-biofilm compounds. This structural similarity raises concerns about the involvement of microbes in facilitating neurodegenerative and systemic diseases, similar to prion proteins transmitted by contaminated meat, opening directions to explore disease predisposition. Recently, the lab’s discovery of a novel type of an antibacterial human-derived protein fibril can facilitate the design of antimicrobial biomaterials with enhanced selectivity, bioavailability, and shelf-life.

Awards:

2020      Daniel Shiran Memorial Prize
2020      Hestrin Prize of the Israel Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
2019      Juludan Research Prize

2019 The Henry Taub Prize for Academic Excellence from the Technion
2019 Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award from the Biophysical Society
2018 The Krill Prize for Excellence in Scientific Research
2018 Excellence in Research Award from the Henri Gutwirth Fund for the Promotion of Research
2018 Selected as a speaker in the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Future of Biophysics Symposium at the Biophysical Society 62nd Annual Meeting
2016 Best Speaker Award; X Jakub K. Parnas Conference Young Scientist Forum “Molecules in the Living Cell and Innovative Medicine”; Wrocław, Poland
2013 Alon Fellowship from the Israeli Council for Higher Education
2011 MBI Postdoctoral Recognition Award of Excellence, UCLA.
2010 American Crystallographic Association Travel Award.
2007 Finalist for The Life Science Research Foundation (LSRF) Postdoctoral Fellowship (the foundations were not able to find a sponsor for me).
2006 Selected to participate in the 56th Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students in Lindau, Germany.
2006 Aharon Katzir Travel Fellowship.
2006 The Anat Krauskopf Travel Fund.
2006 Award of Excellence in Teaching and Research. Faculty of Life Science, Tel Aviv University.
2005 The Iafa Keydar Prize in Cancer Research.
2005 Trotzki Fellowship for Graduate Students.
2004 Matching Rector Doctoral Fellowship, Tel-Aviv University.
2004 Travel award from the Constantiner Institute of Molecular Biology.
‏2004 Award of Excellence in Teaching and Research, Faculty of Life Science, Tel Aviv University.
2002 M.Sc. Summa cum Laude, Faculty of Life Science, Tel Aviv University.
2000 B. Pharm. Magna Cum Laude, School of Pharmacy, The Hebrew University.
1998 Awards of excellence, School of Pharmacy, The Hebrew University.

Key Publications:

Landau, S.J. Fleishman and N. Ben-Tal. A Putative mechanism for down-regulation of the catalytic activity of the EGF receptor via direct contact between its kinase and C-terminal domains. Structure 12: 2265-75, 2004.
Landau, I. Mayrose, Y. Rosenberg, F. Glaser, E. Martz, T. Pupko and N. Ben-Tal. ConSurf 2005: the projection of evolutionary conservation scores of residues on protein structures. Nucleic Acids Res 33: W299-W302, 2005.
Landau and N. Zisapel. The low affinity binding of melatonin to calmodulin: use of computational methods to explain its physiological relevance. Melatonin: from molecules to therapy, S.R. Pandi-Perumal and D.P. Cardinali. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers, Inc. 2006.

Landau, M.R. Sawaya, K.F. Faull, A. Laganowsky, L. Jiang, S.A. Sievers, J. Liu, J.R. Barrio and D. Eisenberg. Towards a Pharmacophore for Amyloid. PLoS Biology 9(6): e1001080; 2011.
Colletier*, A. Laganowsky*, M. Landau*, M. Zhao*, A.B. Soriaga*, L. Goldschmidt, D. Cascio, M.R. Sawaya, and D. Eisenberg. Molecular Basis for Amyloid-beta Polymorphism. PNAS 108(41):16938-43; 2011. *Authors contributed equally
Laganowsky, C. Lui, M.R. Sawaya, J.P. Whitelegge, J. Park, M. Zhao, A. Pensalfini, A.B. Soriaga, M. Landau, P.K. Teng, D. Cascio, C. Glabe, D. Eisenberg. Atomic View of a Toxic Amyloid Small Oligomer. Science 335(6073):1228-31; 2012.
Jiang, C. Liu, D. Leibly, M. Landau, M. Zhao, M. Hughes, and D.Eisenberg. Structure-based discovery of fiber-binding compounds that reduce the cytotoxicity of amyloid beta. eLife 2:e00857; 2013.
Tayeb-Fligelman*, O. Tabachnikov*, A. Moshe*, O. Goldshmidt-Tran, M.R. Sawaya, N. Coquelle, J-P. Colletier, and M. Landau. The Cytotoxic Staphylococcus aureus PSMα3 Reveals a Cross-α Amyloid-like Fibril. Science 355(6327): 831-833; 2017
Landau. Getting in charge of β-synuclein fibrillation. J Biol. Chem. 29;292(39):16380-16381; 2017
Malishev, E. Tayeb-Fligelman, S. David S, M. Meijler, M. Landau*, and R. Jelinek*. Reciprocal Interactions between Membrane Bilayers and S. aureus PSMalpha3 Cross-alpha Amyloid Fibrils Account for Species-Specific Cytotoxicity. J. Mol. Biol. 430(10):1431-1441; 2018. *Co-corresponding authors
Salinas, A. Moshe, J-P. Colletier, and M. Landau. Extreme Amyloid Polymorphism in Staphylococcus aureus Virulent PSMα Peptides. Nat. Commun. 9(1):3512; 2018.
Landau. Mimicking Cross-α Amyloids. Nat. Chem. Biol. 14(9):833-834; 2018
Perov*, O. Lidor*, N. Salinas*, N. Golan*, E. Tayeb-Fligelman, M. Deshmukh, D. Willbold, and M. Landau. Structural Insights into Curli CsgA Cross-β Fibril Architecture Inspired Repurposing of Anti-amyloid Compounds as Anti-biofilm Agents. PLoS Pathog 15(8): e1007978; 2019 *Authors contributed equally.
Tayeb-Fligelman, N. Salinas O. Tabachnikov, and M. Landau. Staphylococcus aureus PSMα3 Cross-α Fibril Polymorphism and Determinants of Cytotoxicity. Structure S0969-2126(19)30445-9; 2020
Engelberg, and M. Landau. The Human LL-37(17-29) Antimicrobial Peptide Reveals a Functional Supramolecular Nanostructure. Nat. Commun. 11, 3894; 2020
Salinas, TL. Povolotsky, M. Landau, I. and Kolodkin-Gal. Emerging Roles of Functional Bacterial Amyloids in Gene Regulation, Toxicity, and Immunomodulation. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 85(1):e00062-20; 2020
Salinas*, E. Tayeb-Fligelman*, M. Sammito, D. Bloch, R. Jelinek, D. Noy, I. Uson, and M. Landau. The Amphibian Antimicrobial Peptide Uperin 3.5 is a Cross-α/Cross-β Chameleon Functional Amyloid. *Authors contributed equally. PNAS in press.

Recent Publications:

- - - E. Tayeb-Fligelman*, O. Tabachnikov*, A. Moshe*, O. Goldshmidt-Tran, M.R. Sawaya, N. Coquelle, J-P. Colletier, and M. Landau. The Cytotoxic Staphylococcus aureus PSMα3 Reveals a Cross-α Amyloid-like Fibril. Science 355(6327): 831-833; 2017

- - - R. Malishev, E. Tayeb-Fligelman, S. David S, M. Meijler, M. Landau*, and R. Jelinek*. Reciprocal Interactions between Membrane Bilayers and S. aureus PSMalpha3 Cross-alpha Amyloid Fibrils Account for Species-Specific Cytotoxicity. J. Mol. Biol. 430(10):1431-1441; 2018. *Co-corresponding authors
    - N. Salinas, A. Moshe, J-P. Colletier, and M. Landau. Extreme Amyloid Polymorphism in Staphylococcus aureus Virulent PSMα Peptides. Nat. Commun. 9(1):3512; 2018.
    - S. Perov*, O. Lidor*, N. Salinas*, N. Golan*, E. Tayeb-Fligelman, M. Deshmukh, D. Willbold, and M. Landau. Structural Insights into Curli CsgA Cross-β Fibril Architecture Inspired Repurposing of Anti-amyloid Compounds as Anti-biofilm Agents. PLoS Pathog 15(8): e1007978; 2019 *Authors contributed equally.
    - E. Tayeb-Fligelman, N. Salinas O. Tabachnikov, and M. Landau. Staphylococcus aureus PSMα3 Cross-α Fibril Polymorphism and Determinants of Cytotoxicity. Structure S0969-2126(19)30445-9; 2020
    - Y. Engelberg, and M. Landau. The Human LL-37(17-29) Antimicrobial Peptide Reveals a Functional Supramolecular Nanostructure. Nat. Commun. 11, 3894; 2020
    - N. Salinas*, E. Tayeb-Fligelman*, M. Sammito, D. Bloch, R. Jelinek, D. Noy, I. Uson, and M. Landau. The Amphibian Antimicrobial Peptide Uperin 3.5 is a Cross-α/Cross-β Chameleon Functional Amyloid. *Authors contributed equally. PNAS in press.

Open Positions

Our lab is looking for highly motivated Master and Ph.D. candidates who are interested in research integrating biophysical, biochemical, biological and computational methods for applications in drug development, biomedicine and nanotechnology.

You will integrate cryogenic electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) for atomistic structure determination of protein

fibrils, X-ray crystallography using particle accelerators, bioinformatics, toxicity assays against human and bacterial cells, and other multidisciplinary methods.

Candidate with a background in Bio-materials, Biotechnological and Bio-medical Sciences and Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and related fields, who are interested in ever-growing, challenging, and fun research, please send your CV and a short letter of intent to:mlandau@technion.ac.il

Meytal Landau