Overview
Background
Professor Mobli is a structural biologist and a group leader at the University of Queensland's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN). He is well known internationally for his contributions to the basic theory of multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance and its applications to resolving the molecular structure of peptides and proteins, as well as studying their physiochemical properties and function. Mehdi's contributions to the field has been recognised by being appointed an Executive Editor of the AMPERE society's journal "Magnetic Resonance", and to the advisory board of the international Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank (BMRB) as well as serving on the board of directors of the Australia and New Zealand Society for Magnetic Resonance (ANZMAG). He is a former ARC Future Fellow and recipient of the ASBMB MERCK medal, the Australia Peptide Society's Tregear Award, the ANZMAG Sir Paul Callaghan medal and the Lorne Proteins Young Investigator Award (now Robin Anders Award).
Prof. Mobli's research group focuses on characterising the structure and function of receptors involved in neuronal signalling, with a particular focus on developing new approaches for the discovery and characterisation of modulators of these receptors through innovations in bioinformatics, biochemistry and and biophysics. This work has led to publication of more than 100 research articles attracting over 6,000 citations.
Availability
- Professor Mehdi Mobli is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Liverpool
Research interests
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Structure, function and dynamics of biomolecules studied in solution by NMR spectroscopy
Nuclear magnetic resonance is one of the most powerful atomic resolution techniques for probing the physicochemical properties of molecules. In biophysics and particularly in protein research NMR can uniquely be used to determine both high-resolution structures and conformational dynamics of proteins in their natural solution state environment. NMR can further be used to provide functional data and is routinely used as a screening tool to provide input to structure based drug design studies. The properties that make NMR such a versatile technique also require technical expertise in data acquisition, analysis and interpretation. Dr Mobli's research is focused on the application of NMR spectroscopy in molecular biology, with the aim of increasing the utility of the technique itself through automation and also to expand its current applications. His group are working on diverse biological problems including understanding the structure of disulfide stabilised peptides, how voltage-gated ion channels are modulated by natural and synthetic ligands and the mechanism of bacterial transcription pausing. All of these projects are being pursued with the ultimate goal of developing novel drugs and diagnostic tools.
Research impacts
Bioactive peptides have long been recognised as important messengers in cellular communication and are integral to our understanding of basic physiological processes. Their potential as natural substrates for biological receptors has been leveraged successfully in some of the most important therapeutics of our time, such as insulin and oxytocin. In recent years, increased attention has been given to this molecular class due to the ease of generating large libraries of these peptides under selection pressure. This can yield potent drug leads through mRNA and phage display technologies. The potency and selectivity of these molecules come from their well-defined three-dimensional structures, which are often constrained by side-chain and/or backbone linkages that stabilise their 3D shape. Prof. Mobli's research group has contributed significantly to the understanding of the structure, dynamics, and function of constrained peptides. Our basic understanding of the physicochemical properties of bioactive peptides comes from studies of their structural and chemical properties. His group has directly contributed over 40 high-resolution structures of constrained peptides to the PDB, including arguably the highest resolution solution structure of a disulfide-constrained peptide to date (6URP). Detailed dynamic and functional studies have offered novel insights ranging from the basic chemistry of peptide side chains to the structural basis of peptide-receptor interactions and the evolution of neofunctionalisation of stable structural scaffolds.
Works
Search Professor Mehdi Mobli’s works on UQ eSpace
2024
Journal Article
o-Vanillin binds covalently to MAL/TIRAP Lys-210 but independently inhibits TLR2
Rahaman, Md. Habibur, Thygesen, Sara J., Maxwell, Michael J., Kim, Hyoyoung, Mudai, Prerna, Nanson, Jeffrey D., Jia, Xinying, Vajjhala, Parimala R., Hedger, Andrew, Vetter, Irina, Haselhorst, Thomas, Robertson, Avril A. B., Dymock, Brian, Ve, Thomas, Mobli, Mehdi, Stacey, Katryn J. and Kobe, Bostjan (2024). o-Vanillin binds covalently to MAL/TIRAP Lys-210 but independently inhibits TLR2. Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry, 39 (1) 2313055, 2313055. doi: 10.1080/14756366.2024.2313055
2024
Journal Article
Structural basis of the bivalency of the TRPV1 agonist DkTx
Ramanujam, Venkatraman, Crawford, Theo, Cristofori‐Armstrong, Ben, Deuis, Jennifer R., Jia, Xinying, Maxwell, Michael J., Jami, Sina, Ma, Linlin, Vetter, Irina and Mobli, Mehdi (2024). Structural basis of the bivalency of the TRPV1 agonist DkTx. Angewandte Chemie, 136 (3), 1-8. doi: 10.1002/ange.202314621
2024
Journal Article
Structural basis of the bivalency of the TRPV1 agonist DkTx
Ramanujam, Venkatraman, Crawford, Theo, Cristofori-Armstrong, Ben, Deuis, Jennifer, Jia, Xinying, Maxwell, Michael, Jami, Sina, Ma, Linlin, Vetter, Irina and Mobli, Mehdi (2024). Structural basis of the bivalency of the TRPV1 agonist DkTx. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 63 (3) e202314621, 1-8. doi: 10.1002/anie.202314621
2023
Journal Article
Self-cyclisation as a general and efficient platform for peptide and protein macrocyclisation
Jia, Xinying, Chin, Yanni K.-Y., Zhang, Alan H., Crawford, Theo, Zhu, Yifei, Fletcher, Nicholas L., Zhou, Zihan, Hamilton, Brett R., Stroet, Martin, Thurecht, Kristofer J. and Mobli, Mehdi (2023). Self-cyclisation as a general and efficient platform for peptide and protein macrocyclisation. Communications Chemistry, 6 (1) 48, 1-10. doi: 10.1038/s42004-023-00841-5
2023
Journal Article
Structural conformation and activity of spider-derived inhibitory cystine knot peptide Pn3a are modulated by pH
Tran, Poanna, Crawford, Theo, Ragnarsson, Lotten, Deuis, Jennifer R., Mobli, Mehdi, Sharpe, Simon J., Schroeder, Christina I. and Vetter, Irina (2023). Structural conformation and activity of spider-derived inhibitory cystine knot peptide Pn3a are modulated by pH. ACS Omega, 8 (29), 26276-26286. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.3c02664
2023
Journal Article
Pain-causing stinging nettle toxins target TMEM233 to modulate NaV1.7 function
Jami, Sina, Deuis, Jennifer R., Klasfauseweh, Tabea, Cheng, Xiaoyang, Kurdyukov, Sergey, Chung, Felicity, Okorokov, Andrei L., Li, Shengnan, Zhang, Jiangtao, Cristofori-Armstrong, Ben, Israel, Mathilde R., Ju, Robert J., Robinson, Samuel D., Zhao, Peng, Ragnarsson, Lotten, Andersson, Åsa, Tran, Poanna, Schendel, Vanessa, McMahon, Kirsten L., Tran, Hue N. T., Chin, Yanni K.-Y., Zhu, Yifei, Liu, Junyu, Crawford, Theo, Purushothamvasan, Saipriyaa, Habib, Abdella M., Andersson, David A., Rash, Lachlan D., Wood, John N. ... Vetter, Irina (2023). Pain-causing stinging nettle toxins target TMEM233 to modulate NaV1.7 function. Nature Communications, 14 (1) 2442. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-37963-2
2023
Journal Article
Designing antimicrobial peptides using deep learning and molecular dynamic simulations
Cao, Qiushi, Ge, Cheng, Wang, Xuejie, Harvey, Peta J., Zhang, Zixuan, Ma, Yuan, Wang, Xianghong, Jia, Xinying, Mobli, Mehdi, Craik, David J., Jiang, Tao, Yang, Jinbo, Wei, Zhiqiang, Wang, Yan, Chang, Shan and Yu, Rilei (2023). Designing antimicrobial peptides using deep learning and molecular dynamic simulations. Briefings in Bioinformatics, 24 (2) bbad058, 1-13. doi: 10.1093/bib/bbad058
2023
Journal Article
Facilitating the structural characterisation of non-canonical amino acids in biomolecular NMR
Kuschert, Sarah, Stroet, Martin, Chin, Yanni Ka-Yan, Conibear, Anne Claire, Jia, Xinying, Lee, Thomas, Bartling, Christian Reinhard Otto, Strømgaard, Kristian, Güntert, Peter, Rosengren, Karl Johan, Mark, Alan Edward and Mobli, Mehdi (2023). Facilitating the structural characterisation of non-canonical amino acids in biomolecular NMR. Magnetic Resonance, 4 (1), 57-72. doi: 10.5194/mr-4-57-2023
2023
Journal Article
A bivalent remipede toxin promotes calcium release via ryanodine receptor activation
Maxwell, Michael J., Thekkedam, Chris, Lamboley, Cedric, Chin, Yanni K.-Y., Crawford, Theo, Smith, Jennifer J., Liu, Junyu, Jia, Xinying, Vetter, Irina, Laver, Derek R., Launikonis, Bradley S., Dulhunty, Angela, Undheim, Eivind A. B. and Mobli, Mehdi (2023). A bivalent remipede toxin promotes calcium release via ryanodine receptor activation. Nature Communications, 14 (1) 1036, 1-13. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-36579-w
2023
Journal Article
Comprehensive peptide cyclization examination yields optimized APP scaffolds with improved affinity toward Mint2
Bartling, Christian R. O., Alexopoulou, Flora, Kuschert, Sarah, Chin, Yanni K.-Y., Jia, Xinying, Sereikaite, Vita, Özcelik, Dennis, Jensen, Thomas M., Jain, Palash, Nygaard, Mads M., Harpsøe, Kasper, Gloriam, David E., Mobli, Mehdi and Strømgaard, Kristian (2023). Comprehensive peptide cyclization examination yields optimized APP scaffolds with improved affinity toward Mint2. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 66 (4), 3045-3057. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c02017
2023
Journal Article
ScrepYard: an online resource for disulfide-stabilised tandem repeat peptides
Liu, Junyu, Maxwell, Michael, Cuddihy, Thom, Crawford, Theo, Bassetti, Madeline, Hyde, Cameron, Peigneur, Steve, Tytgat, Jan, Undheim, Eivind A.B. and Mobli, Mehdi (2023). ScrepYard: an online resource for disulfide-stabilised tandem repeat peptides. Protein Science, 32 (2) e4566, 1-12. doi: 10.1002/pro.4566
2023
Journal Article
Solution structure of the N-terminal extension domain of a Schistosoma japonicum asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase
Peck, Yoshimi, Pickering, Darren, Mobli, Mehdi, Liddell, Michael J., Wilson, David T., Ruscher, Roland, Ryan, Stephanie, Buitrago, Geraldine, McHugh, Connor, Love, Nicholas C., Pinlac, Theresa, Haertlein, Michael, Kron, Michael A., Loukas, Alex and Daly, Norelle L. (2023). Solution structure of the N-terminal extension domain of a Schistosoma japonicum asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase. Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, 42 (15), 1-11. doi: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2241918
2022
Journal Article
Methyl probes in proteins for determining ligand binding mode in weak protein–ligand complexes
Mohanty, Biswaranjan, Orts, Julien, Wang, Geqing, Nebl, Stefan, Alwan, Wesam S., Doak, Bradley C., Williams, Martin L., Heras, Begoña, Mobli, Mehdi and Scanlon, Martin J. (2022). Methyl probes in proteins for determining ligand binding mode in weak protein–ligand complexes. Scientific Reports, 12 (1) 11231, 1-10. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-13561-y
2022
Journal Article
Proteomic identification and structural basis for the interaction between sorting nexin SNX17 and PDLIM family proteins
Healy, Michael D., Sacharz, Joanna, McNally, Kerrie E., McConville, Calum, Tillu, Vikas A., Hall, Ryan J., Chilton, Molly, Cullen, Peter J., Mobli, Mehdi, Ghai, Rajesh, Stroud, David A. and Collins, Brett M. (2022). Proteomic identification and structural basis for the interaction between sorting nexin SNX17 and PDLIM family proteins. Structure, 30 (12), 1590-1602.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.str.2022.10.001
2022
Journal Article
The transmembrane adaptor SCIMP recruits tyrosine kinase Syk to phosphorylate Toll-like receptors to mediate selective inflammatory outputs
Liu, Liping, Lucas, Richard M., Nanson, Jeffrey D., Li, Yan, Whitfield, Jason, Curson, James E. B., Tuladhar, Neeraj, Alexandrov, Kirill, Mobli, Mehdi, Sweet, Matthew J., Kobe, Bostjan, Stow, Jennifer and Luo, Lin (2022). The transmembrane adaptor SCIMP recruits tyrosine kinase Syk to phosphorylate Toll-like receptors to mediate selective inflammatory outputs. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 298 (5) 101857, 101857. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101857
2021
Journal Article
NUScon: a community-driven platform for quantitative evaluation of nonuniform sampling in NMR
Pustovalova, Yulia, Delaglio, Frank, Craft, D. Levi, Arthanari, Haribabu, Bax, Ad, Billeter, Martin, Bostock, Mark J., Dashti, Hesam, Hansen, D. Flemming, Hyberts, Sven G., Johnson, Bruce A., Kazimierczuk, Krzysztof, Lu, Hengfa, Maciejewski, Mark, Miljenović, Tomas M., Mobli, Mehdi, Nietlispach, Daniel, Orekhov, Vladislav, Powers, Robert, Qu, Xiaobo, Robson, Scott Anthony, Rovnyak, David, Wagner, Gerhard, Ying, Jinfa, Zambrello, Matthew, Hoch, Jeffrey C., Donoho, David L. and Schuyler, Adam D. (2021). NUScon: a community-driven platform for quantitative evaluation of nonuniform sampling in NMR. Magnetic Resonance, 2 (2), 843-861. doi: 10.5194/mr-2-843-2021
2021
Journal Article
Structural basis for the binding of the cancer targeting scorpion toxin, ClTx, to the vascular endothelia growth factor receptor neuropilin-1
Sharma, Gagan, Braga, Carolyne B., Chen, Kai-En, Jia, Xinying, Ramanujam, Venkatraman, Collins, Brett M., Rittner, Roberto and Mobli, Mehdi (2021). Structural basis for the binding of the cancer targeting scorpion toxin, ClTx, to the vascular endothelia growth factor receptor neuropilin-1. Current Research in Structural Biology, 3, 179-186. doi: 10.1016/j.crstbi.2021.07.003
2021
Journal Article
SARM1 is a metabolic sensor activated by an increased NMN/NAD+ ratio to trigger axon degeneration
Figley, Matthew D., Gu, Weixi, Nanson, Jeffrey D., Shi, Yun, Sasaki, Yo, Cunnea, Katie, Malde, Alpeshkumar K., Jia, Xinying, Luo, Zhenyao, Saikot, Forhad K., Mosaiab, Tamim, Masic, Veronika, Holt, Stephanie, Hartley-Tassell, Lauren, McGuinness, Helen Y., Manik, Mohammad K., Bosanac, Todd, Landsberg, Michael J., Kerry, Philip S., Mobli, Mehdi, Hughes, Robert O., Milbrandt, Jeffrey, Kobe, Bostjan, DiAntonio, Aaron and Ve, Thomas (2021). SARM1 is a metabolic sensor activated by an increased NMN/NAD+ ratio to trigger axon degeneration. Neuron, 109 (7), 1-19. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.02.009
2020
Journal Article
Multi-species transcriptomics reveals evolutionary diversity in the mechanisms regulating shrimp tail muscle excitation-contraction coupling
Huerlimann, Roger, Maes, Gregory E., Maxwell, Michael J., Mobli, Mehdi, Launikonis, Bradley S., Jerry, Dean R. and Wade, Nicholas M. (2020). Multi-species transcriptomics reveals evolutionary diversity in the mechanisms regulating shrimp tail muscle excitation-contraction coupling. Gene, 752 144765, 144765. doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2020.144765
2020
Journal Article
Recombinant production, bioconjugation and membrane binding studies ofPn3a, a selective Nav1.7 inhibitor
Sharma, Gagan, Deuis, Jennifer R., Jia, Xinying, Mueller, Alexander, Vetter, Irina and Mobli, Mehdi (2020). Recombinant production, bioconjugation and membrane binding studies ofPn3a, a selective Nav1.7 inhibitor. Biochemical Pharmacology, 181 114148, 114148. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2020.114148
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Mehdi Mobli is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Structural and functional characterisation of an orphan family of opioid peptides
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Studies of complex biomolecular systems using advanced biochemical and biophysical techniques
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Jeffrey Harmer
-
Doctor Philosophy
The ASIC thumb domain as a channel proxy for identification of drug leads for the treatment of ischemic conditions
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Lachlan Rash
-
Doctor Philosophy
Fast Acquisition Methods in Multidimensional NMR
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Characterisation of the lipid dependent gating of voltage gated ion channels
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Accessing structurally elusive states of sodium channels as novel analgesic targets
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Irina Vetter
-
Doctor Philosophy
Fast Acquisition Methods in Multidimensional NMR
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Modulation of opioid catabolism by endogenous neuropeptides
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Discovery and characterisation of multi-valent peptides
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Irina Vetter
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Doctor Philosophy
Analysis of Complex Metabolomic Data
Associate Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the function of sodium channel accessory proteins to develop new treatments for chronic pain
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jennifer Deuis, Professor Irina Vetter
-
Doctor Philosophy
Complex Data Analysis Problems in NMR-based Metabolomics
Associate Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Structural and biochemical characterization of dual enzymatic activity of TIR domains from plant innate immune receptors
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Natsumi Maruta, Professor Bostjan Kobe
Completed supervision
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Structural study of the ASIC thumb domain (ATD) in isolation by solution-state NMR spectroscopy
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Lachlan Rash
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Structural and functional characterisation of secreted cysteine-rich repeat proteins (SCREPs)
Principal Advisor
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Structural basis of the function of peptide inhibitors targeting voltage-gated sodium channel
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Irina Vetter
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
The application of phospholipid nanodiscs to study peptide-lipid binding interactions
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Bostjan Kobe
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
In vivo protein splicing of secreted cysteine-rich repeat proteins and their structural characterization by NMR spectroscopy
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Glenn King
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Characterisation of venom-derived peptides that target acid-sensing ion channels
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Irina Vetter, Dr Lachlan Rash
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Engineering an optimized analgesic from the NaV1.7 selective spider venom peptide Pn3a
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jennifer Deuis, Professor Irina Vetter
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Rational development of analgesics for the treatment of chronic pain: dissecting the molecular details of the interaction between gating modifier peptide modulators and human voltage-gated sodium channels
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Richard Lewis, Professor Glenn King
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Targeting TIR domain assemblies in TLR signalling pathways to design anti-inflammatory compounds
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Bostjan Kobe
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
B. anthracis Protective Antigen: A molecular imaging agent targeting squamous cell carcinoma
Associate Advisor
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
ß-hairpin antimicrobial peptides: structure, function and mode of action
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mark Blaskovich
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
The structural characterisation of proteins MAL and Sr33 involved in innate immunity
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Bostjan Kobe
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the molecular basis of the interaction between spider toxins and the voltage sensor domain of voltage-gated ion channels
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Glenn King
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Bioinsecticides for the control of human disease vectors
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Glenn King
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2013
Doctor Philosophy
Characterisation of spider-venom peptides that target voltage-gated sodium channels: pharmacological tools and potential therapeutic leads for the treatment of chronic pain
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Glenn King
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Mehdi Mobli directly for media enquiries about:
- Mechanism of voltage gating by voltage-gated ion channels
- Structure guided drug design
- Structure guided evolution of venom peptides
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