Maya Topf is a native Israeli, born and raised not far from Tel Aviv. She graduated with a Master's degree in chemistry before moving abroad to pursue her doctoral studies. In 2002, she obtained her PhD in computational chemistry at the University of Oxford.
# Career Topf's early interest in the structure of proteins and macromolecular complexes led her to computational chemistry, where computer simulations aid in understanding protein structures. Following her PhD, she took up a post-doctoral position at the University of California, San Francisco, in the lab of Andrej Sali.
From 2006 to 2012, she worked as an MRC Career Development Fellow at the Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology (ISMB) and Birkbeck, University of London. During this time, she also held the position of Lecturer at Birkbeck. In 2013, she became a Reader at ISMB and Birkbeck, and in 2016, she was appointed Full Professor at the same institutions.
Topf's research group at Birkbeck focused on infection research, developing computational methods to understand viral behaviour in cells and devise ways to stop them. Her work has spanned various areas, including 3D electron microscopy image analysis, structures of macromolecular assemblies by data integration, viral protein-protein interaction networks, modelling of membrane proteins and small-molecule interactions, and herpesviruses.
In 2020, Topf became a Professor at the Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology (HPI), and University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) in Hamburg, Germany. She leads the Integrative Virology research group, which aims to decipher pathogen attack mechanisms at the atomic level to design customised medications.
Topf has published extensively in the field of computational biology and structural systems biology. She has worked on integrating model simulation tools with cryo-electron microscopy to study macromolecular assemblies. Her research group at Birkbeck made significant contributions to understanding viral behaviour and developing antiviral therapies.
# Conclusion
Maya Topf is a native Israeli, born and raised not far from Tel Aviv. She graduated with a Master's degree in chemistry before moving abroad to pursue a D.Phil in computational chemistry at the University of Oxford, which she completed in 2002.
# Career Topf's early career focused on computational chemistry and protein structures. She began as a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of California, San Francisco, in the lab of Andrej Sali. Here, she further explored her interest in protein structures and macromolecular complexes.
In 2006, she returned to England and joined Birkbeck College, University of London, as a Lecturer, becoming a Reader in 2013. During this time, she also held an MRC Career Development Fellowship. In 2016, she was appointed Full Professor of "Structural and Computational Biology" at Birkbeck, where she assembled her own research group.
Since 2020, Topf has been a Professor at the Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB) in Hamburg, Germany, appointed by the UKE and HPI. She is the head of the newly established research group Integrative Virology at CSSB, where her team focuses on developing antiviral therapies by deciphering the attack mechanisms of pathogens at the atomic level.
Her current work involves developing computational methods that combine experimental data with bioinformatics and modelling techniques to characterise the structure of macromolecular machines and understand how viruses act in cells and how they can be stopped.
Maya Topf
Professor @ Centre for Structural Systems Biology - Hamburg
N/A
Critical assessment of methods of protein structure prediction (CASP)—Round XIII A Kryshtafovych, T Schwede, M Topf, K Fidelis, J Moult Proteins: Structure, Function, and Bioinformatics 87 (12), 1011-1020, 2019 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:_B80troHkn4C
Protein structure fitting and refinement guided by cryo-EM density M Topf, K Lasker, B Webb, H Wolfson, W Chiu, A Sali Structure 16 (2), 295-307, 2008 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:9yKSN-GCB0IC
Critical assessment of methods of protein structure prediction (CASP)—Round XIV A Kryshtafovych, T Schwede, M Topf, K Fidelis, J Moult Proteins: Structure, Function, and Bioinformatics 89 (12), 1607-1617, 2021 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:epqYDVWIO7EC
A structural perspective on protein–protein interactions RB Russell, F Alber, P Aloy, FP Davis, D Korkin, M Pichaud, M Topf, A Sali Current opinion in structural biology 14 (3), 313-324, 2004 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:u5HHmVD_uO8C
Mosaic RAS/MAPK variants cause sporadic vascular malformations which respond to targeted therapy L Al-Olabi, S Polubothu, K Dowsett, KA Andrews, P Stadnik, AP Joseph, … The Journal of clinical investigation 128 (4), 1496-1508, 2018 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:u9iWguZQMMsC
Integrating diverse data for structure determination of macromolecular assemblies F Alber, F Förster, D Korkin, M Topf, A Sali Annu. Rev. Biochem. 77 (1), 443-477, 2008 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:qjMakFHDy7sC
TUBA1A mutations cause wide spectrum lissencephaly (smooth brain) and suggest that multiple neuronal migration pathways converge on alpha tubulins RA Kumar, DT Pilz, TD Babatz, TD Cushion, K Harvey, M Topf, L Yates, … Human molecular genetics 19 (14), 2817-2827, 2010 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:hqOjcs7Dif8C
The genetics of hyperekplexia: more than startle! RJ Harvey, M Topf, K Harvey, MI Rees Trends in Genetics 24 (9), 439-447, 2008 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:Y0pCki6q_DkC
Mutations in the histone methyltransferase gene KMT2B cause complex early-onset dystonia E Meyer, KJ Carss, J Rankin, JME Nichols, D Grozeva, AP Joseph, … Nature genetics 49 (2), 223-237, 2017 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:4OULZ7Gr8RgC
ATP-triggered conformational changes delineate substrate-binding and-folding mechanics of the GroEL chaperonin DK Clare, D Vasishtan, S Stagg, J Quispe, GW Farr, M Topf, AL Horwich, … Cell 149 (1), 113-123, 2012 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:Zph67rFs4hoC
Comprehensive molecular structure of the eukaryotic ribosome DJ Taylor, B Devkota, AD Huang, M Topf, E Narayanan, A Sali, … Structure 17 (12), 1591-1604, 2009 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:2osOgNQ5qMEC
Outcome of the first wwPDB hybrid/integrative methods task force workshop A Sali, HM Berman, T Schwede, J Trewhella, G Kleywegt, SK Burley, … Structure 23 (7), 1156-1167, 2015 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:70eg2SAEIzsC
Structure of the mammalian 80S ribosome at 8.7 Å resolution P Chandramouli, M Topf, JF Ménétret, N Eswar, JJ Cannone, RR Gutell, … Structure 16 (4), 535-548, 2008 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:d1gkVwhDpl0C
Structure of an apoptosome-procaspase-9 CARD complex S Yuan, X Yu, M Topf, SJ Ludtke, X Wang, CW Akey Structure 18 (5), 571-583, 2010 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:_FxGoFyzp5QC
Stepwise visualization of membrane pore formation by suilysin, a bacterial cholesterol-dependent cytolysin C Leung, NV Dudkina, N Lukoyanova, AW Hodel, I Farabella, … elife 3, e04247, 2014 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:RYcK_YlVTxYC
Mutations in SLC12A5 in epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures T Stödberg, A McTague, AJ Ruiz, H Hirata, J Zhen, P Long, I Farabella, … Nature communications 6 (1), 8038, 2015 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:ldfaerwXgEUC
Inferential optimization for simultaneous fitting of multiple components into a CryoEM map of their assembly K Lasker, M Topf, A Sali, HJ Wolfson Journal of molecular biology 388 (1), 180-194, 2009 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:ufrVoPGSRksC
Subnanometer-resolution electron cryomicroscopy-based domain models for the cytoplasmic region of skeletal muscle RyR channel II Serysheva, SJ Ludtke, ML Baker, Y Cong, M Topf, D Eramian, A Sali, … Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105 (28), 9610-9615, 2008 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:WF5omc3nYNoC
Mechanism of eIF6-mediated inhibition of ribosomal subunit joining M Gartmann, M Blau, JP Armache, T Mielke, M Topf, R Beckmann Journal of Biological Chemistry 285 (20), 14848-14851, 2010 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:UebtZRa9Y70C
Conformational changes during pore formation by the perforin-related protein pleurotolysin N Lukoyanova, SC Kondos, I Farabella, RHP Law, CF Reboul, … PLoS biology 13 (2), e1002049, 2015 Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?viewop=viewcitation&hl=en&user=O4iPLEgAAAAJ&citationforview=O4iPLEgAAAAJ:vV6vV6tmYwMC
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