Marlena Herbertz got the doctor's title

The Na,K-ATPase is a vital ion transporter and ubiquitously expressed in all animal cells. The enzyme is composed of two functionally diverse subunits in invertebrates, an α and a β-subunit. The ion transport can be inhibited by cardiac glycosides with harmful or even lethal effects on the organism...

Shab's protein engineering experiments in our lab helped to dissect the evolutionary path that enabled toad-feeding frogs to become resistant to their prey's toxins while maintaining highly active Na, K-ATPases and withstanding the homogenizing force of gene conversion.

Mohammadi S., Yang L., Harpak...