Matthias Heyden
Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Chemistry
Ph. D., Physical Chemistry, 2010
Ruhr-University Bochum
B. S., Biochemistry, 2004
Ruhr-University Bochum
Contact me: matthias.heyden (at) uci.edu
Current projects in the Tobias Lab:
My current research focuses on the interactions of membrane proteins and their lipid environment. In living organisms membrane proteins are often found to be embedded in lipid bilayers with a very specific composition and properties, which are assumed to support the protein’s function. Examples are bacteriorhodopsin in the purple membrane of halobacteria or rhodopsin in the disk membrane of photoreceptor cells in the retina. In less specialized mebranes, the formation of microdomains, e.g., lipid rafts, is often believed to play an important role for proteins embedded therein. While experimental evidence exists that membrane protein function can be regulated by the properties of the lipid environment, the underlying mechanisms remain to be resolved.
Following previous projects, I am also particularly interested in biomolecule-water interactions, properties of water at the solute-solvent interface and its potential role for biomolecule function.
Publications:
S. Funkner, G. Niehues, D. A. Schmidt, M. Heyden, K. M. Callahan, G. Schwaab, D. J. Tobias, and M. Havenith, Watching low frequency motions in aqueous salt solutions – the terahertz vibrational signatures of hydrated ions, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 134, 1030-1035 (2012).
M. Grossman, B. Born, M. Heyden, D. Tworowski, G. B. Fields, I. Sagi, and M. Havenith, Correlated structural kinetics and retarded solvent dynamics at the metalloprotease active site, Nature Struct. Molec. Biol. 18, 1102-1108 (2011).
G. Niehues, M. Heyden, D. A. Schmidt, and M. Havenith, Exploring hydrophobicity by THz absorption spectroscopy of solvated amino acids, Faraday Discuss. 150, 193-207 (2011).
M. Heyden and M. Havenith, Combining THz spectroscopy and MD simulations to study protein-hydration coupling, Methods 52, 74-83 (2010).
M. Heyden, J. Sun, S. Funkner, H. Forbert, G. Mathias, M. Havenith, and D. Marx, Dissecting the THz spectrum of liquid water from first principles via correlations in time and space, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 107, 12068-12073 (2010).
K. Schröck, F. Schröder, M. Heyden, R. A. Fischer, and M. Havenith, Characterization of interfacial water in MOF-5 (Zn4(O)(BDC)3) – a combined spectroscopic and theoretical study, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 10, 4732-4739 (2008).
M. Heyden, E. Bründermann, U. Heugen, G. Niehues, D. M. Leitner, and M. Havenith, Long-range influence of carbohydrates on the solvation dynamics of water – answers from terahertz absorption measurements and molecular modeling simulations, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130, 5773-5779 (2008).
S. Ebbinghaus, S. J. Kim, M. Heyden, X. Yu, M. Gruebele, D. M. Leitner, and M. Havenith, Protein sequence- and pH-dependent hydration probed by terahertz spectroscopy, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130, 2374-2375 (2008).
S. Ebbinghaus, S. J. Kim, M. Heyden, X. Yu, U. Heugen, M. Gruebele, D. M. Leitner, and M. Havenith, An extended dynamical hydration shell around proteins, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 130, 2374-2375 (2008).
U. Heugen, G. Schwaab, E. Bründermann, M. Heyden, X. Yu, D. M. Leitner, and M. Havenith, Solute-induced retardation of water dynamics probed directly by terahertz spectroscopy, Proc. Natl., Acad. Sci. USA 103, 12301-12306 (2006).
S. Ebbinghaus, K. Schröck, J. C. Schauer, E. Bründermann, M. Heyden, G. Schwaab, M. Böke, J. Winter, M. Tani, and M. Havenith, Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy as a new tool for the characterization of dust-forming plasmas, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 15, 72-77 (2006).
