Gira Bhabha

Gira Bhabha, PhD

Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Cell Biology

Keywords
protein dynamics, molecular machines, cellular motility, cryo electron microscopy, structural biology, structure-dynamics-function relationships, motor proteins, lipid trafficking, host-parasite interactions, microbes, parasites, multi-scale imaging, pathogens
Summary

From atoms to cells to organisms, life is in constant motion. Every cell faces the challenge of transporting molecules from one location to another within the cell, a process that is essential for normal function. Proteins that are responsible for proper transport range from simple globular proteins to large multi-protein complexes. In our lab, we use a hybrid approach to study the structural mechanisms of how macromolecular protein machines are spectacularly coordinated to facilitate transport in normal cells, and what goes wrong when they break.

We are interested in understanding how protein structure, function, and dynamics are coordinated in biological systems. We use structural biology techniques such as cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography, in combination with biochemistry, functional assays, and cell biology, to study complex macromolecular machines in cells. Our questions are centered on microbes and pathogens.

Academic office

540 First Avenue, Skirball Institute

Second Floor, Lab 14

New York, NY 10016

Lab Website
Is this your profile?

Fellowship, University of California, San Francisco, Ron Vale Lab

Jaroenlak, Pattana; McCarty, Kacie L; Xia, Bo; Lam, Cherry; Zwack, Erin E; Almasri, Nadia L; Sudar, Joseph; Aubry, Maelle; Yanai, Itai; Bhabha, Gira; Ekiert, Damian C

Nature communications. 2025 Apr 05; 16(1):3269

Usmani, Mahrukh; Coudray, Nicolas; Riggi, Margot; Raghu, Rishwanth; Ramchandani, Harshita; Bobe, Daija; Kopylov, Mykhailo; Zhong, Ellen D; Iwasa, Janet H; Ekiert, Damian C; Bhabha, Gira

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). 2025 Mar 18; 122(11):e2415233122

Cooper, Benjamin F; Clark, Robert; Kudhail, Anju; Dunn, Dali; Tian, Qiaoyu; Bhabha, Gira; Ekiert, Damian C; Khalid, Syma; Isom, Georgia L

Journal of molecular biology. 2025 Jan 15; 437(2):168891

Kahne, Shoshanna C; Yoo, Jin Hee; Chen, James; Nakedi, Kehilwe; Iyer, Lakshminarayan M; Putzel, Gregory; Samhadaneh, Nora M; Pironti, Alejandro; Aravind, L; Ekiert, Damian C; Bhabha, Gira; Rhee, Kyu Y; Darwin, K Heran

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). 2024 Dec 03; 121(49):e2407239121

Porebski, Bartlomiej; Christ, Wanda; Corman, Alba; Haraldsson, Martin; Barz, Myriam; Lidemalm, Louise; Häggblad, Maria; Ilmain, Juliana; Wright, Shane C; Murga, Matilde; Schlegel, Jan; Jarvius, Malin; Lapins, Maris; Sezgin, Erdinc; Bhabha, Gira; Lauschke, Volker M; Carreras-Puigvert, Jordi; Lafarga, Miguel; Klingström, Jonas; Hühn, Daniela; Fernandez-Capetillo, Oscar

Molecular therapy. 2024 Sep 04; 32(9):3012-3024

Edman, Natasha I; Phal, Ashish; Redler, Rachel L; Schlichthaerle, Thomas; Srivatsan, Sanjay R; Ehnes, Devon Duron; Etemadi, Ali; An, Seong J; Favor, Andrew; Li, Zhe; Praetorius, Florian; Gordon, Max; Vincent, Thomas; Marchiano, Silvia; Blakely, Leslie; Lin, Chuwei; Yang, Wei; Coventry, Brian; Hicks, Derrick R; Cao, Longxing; Bethel, Neville; Heine, Piper; Murray, Analisa; Gerben, Stacey; Carter, Lauren; Miranda, Marcos; Negahdari, Babak; Lee, Sangwon; Trapnell, Cole; Zheng, Ying; Murry, Charles E; Schweppe, Devin K; Freedman, Benjamin S; Stewart, Lance; Ekiert, Damian C; Schlessinger, Joseph; Shendure, Jay; Bhabha, Gira; Ruohola-Baker, Hannele; Baker, David

Cell. 2024 Jul 11; 187(14):3726-3740.e43

Ennist, Nathan M; Wang, Shunzhi; Kennedy, Madison A; Curti, Mariano; Sutherland, George A; Vasilev, Cvetelin; Redler, Rachel L; Maffeis, Valentin; Shareef, Saeed; Sica, Anthony V; Hua, Ash Sueh; Deshmukh, Arundhati P; Moyer, Adam P; Hicks, Derrick R; Swartz, Avi Z; Cacho, Ralph A; Novy, Nathan; Bera, Asim K; Kang, Alex; Sankaran, Banumathi; Johnson, Matthew P; Phadkule, Amala; Reppert, Mike; Ekiert, Damian; Bhabha, Gira; Stewart, Lance; Caram, Justin R; Stoddard, Barry L; Romero, Elisabet; Hunter, C Neil; Baker, David

Nature chemical biology. 2024 Jul; 20(7):906-915

Jaroenlak, Pattana; McCarty, Kacie L; Xia, Bo; Lam, Cherry; Zwack, Erin E; Yanai, Itai; Bhabha, Gira; Ekiert, Damian C

[Zhong ji yi kan] = [Medicine for intermediate groups]. 2024 May 30;