Serena Maria Arghittu, a member of the research group led by FIAS Senior Fellow Roberto Covino, successfully defended her doctoral thesis in March. She investigated how proteins on the cell surface self-regulate in response to their local environment.

Using molecular dynamics simulations, coarse-grained modelling, and deep-learning approaches, Arghittu investigated how glycans, lipids, and molecular organization shape protein behaviour across scales. In particular, her work on the MET receptor - important for various signaling pathways in cellular processes - showed that N-glycans are not passive decorations, but active structural regulators that bias receptor conformations, promote ligand-binding competent states, and prevent spurious interactions. 

Arghittu's results support a broader view of the cell surface as a dynamic, self-regulating interface.

The figure depicts the ligand-binding domain of the MET receptor with its N-glycans. The green and pink glycans bridge the SEMA and Ig1 domains, exemplifying a central mechanism of glycan-mediated receptor regulation.