John L. Rubinstein
Professor
BSc, University of Guelph, 1998
PhD, Cambridge University, 2002
| Address | Rm. 20-9705 Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning The Hospital for Sick Children 686 Bay Street, Toronto Toronto, ON M5G0A4 |
| Lab | The Rubinstein Laboratory |
| Office Phone | 416-813-7255 |
| john.rubinstein@utoronto.ca |
John Rubinstein obtained his B.Sc from the University of Guelph in 1998. He received his PhD from Cambridge University (2002) where he worked in Medical Research Council laboratories under the supervision of Sir John E. Walker and Dr. Richard Henderson. Dr. Rubinstein was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology before returning to Canada for a National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) postdoctoral fellowship at the Banting and Best Department of Medical Research. He joined the Research Institute of The Hospital for Sick Children in 2006 and is a Professor in the Departments of Biochemistry and Medical Biophysics.
Research Lab
F20 microscope at the Rubinstein Lab
Our group, consisting of biophysicists and biochemists, studies the structure and function of macromolecular assemblies using electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM), image analysis, biochemistry and molecular genetics.
Current lab members:
- Yazan Abbas, PhD (Postdoctoral fellow)
- Stephanie Bueler, MSc (Research Project Coordinator)
- Samir Benlekbir, PhD (Microscopy facility manager)
- Yingke Liang (Graduate student)
- Justin Di Trani, PhD (Postdoctoral fellow)
- Hui Guo (Graduate student)
- Yong Zi Tan, PhD (Postdoctoral fellow)
- Thamiya Vasanthakumar (Graduate student)
- Hanlin Wang (Graduate student)
- David Yanofsky (Graduate student)
Learn more: The Rubinstein Laboratory
Research Description
Electron Cryomicroscopy of Macromolecular Machines
Our group studies the structure and function of macromolecular assemblies using electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM), image analysis, molecular biology and molecular genetics. We also develop the tools of cryo-EM so that we can answer questions that are not amenable to the techniques that currently exist. This process usually occurs at the level of developing new algorithms and software for image analysis and performing calculations with images and models of molecular structure.
Recent biological projects have included the structural study of the mitochondrial ATP synthase, the Vacuolar-type ATPase, and the V/A-ATPase. We also study bacterial toxins that interact with mammalian cells.
Gatan K2 Summit direct electron detector
Tools of Cryo-EM Website
The primary purpose of this dedicated webpage is to disseminate original software for computational analysis of cryo-EM images. This software is provided as source code and is without any guarantee of support.
Awards & Distinctions
2021 — National Lecturer, Biophysical Society of Canada
2020 — Doctorate of Philosophy honoris causa, Stockholm University
2014-2021 — Canada Research Chair in Electron Cryomicroscopy (Tier I)
2014 — GE Healthcare New Investigator Award (Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences)
2013 — Burton Medal (Microscopy Society of America)
2009-2014 — Early Researcher Award
2007-2012 — CIHR New Investigator Award
Courses Taught
BCH 2138H Advanced Electron Microscopy
BCH 2024H Intro to X-ray crystallography and electron cryomicroscopy
BCH473Y Advanced Research Project in Biochemistry
BCH425H Structural Biology: Principles and Practice
Publications
View all publications on PubMed
Structure of mycobacterial ATP synthase bound to the tuberculosis drug bedaquiline
Hui Guo, Gautier M. Courbon, Stephanie A. Bueler, Juntao Mai, Jun Liu, and John L. Rubinstein
(2021) Nature 589, 143-147
Through-grid wicking enables high-speed cryoEM specimen preparation
Yong Zi Tan and John L. Rubinstein
(2020) Acta Cryst D76, 1092-1103.
Structure of V-ATPase from the mammalian brain
Yazan M. Abbas, Di Wu, Stephanie A. Bueler, Carol V. Robinson, and John L. Rubinstein
(2020) Science 367, 1240-1246.
Structural comparison of the vacuolar and Golgi V- ATPases from Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Thamiya Vasanthakumar, Stephanie A. Bueler, Di Wu, Victoria Beilsten-Edmands, Carol V. Robinson, and John L. Rubinstein
(2019) PNAS 116, 7272–7277
Atomic model for the dimeric FO region of mitochondrial ATP synthase.
Hui Guo, Stephanie A Bueler, and John L Rubinstein
(2017) Science 358, 936-40.
cryoSPARC: algorithms for rapid unsupervised cryo-EM structure determination.
Ali Punjani, John L Rubinstein, David J Fleet, and Marcus A Brubaker
(2017) Nature Methods 14, 290-6
Atomic model for the membrane-embedded VO motor of a eukaryotic V-ATPase.
Mohammad Mazhab-Jafari, Alexis Rohou, Carla Schmidt, Stephanie A Bueler, Samir Benlekbir, Carol V Robinson, and John L Rubinstein
(2016) Nature 539, 118-22.
Electron cryomicroscopy observation of rotational states in a eukaryotic V-ATPase
Jianhua Zhao, Samir Benlekbir, and John L. Rubinstein
(2015) Nature 521, 241-5.
Alignment of cryo-EM movies of individual particles by optimization of image translations
John L. Rubinstein and Marcus A. Brubaker
(2015) Journal of Structural Biology 192, 188-95.