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Dr Quentin Kaas

Research Officer

Institute for Molecular Bioscience
q.kaas@imb.uq.edu.au
+61 7 334 62021

Overview

I have a chemical engineer degree from the Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie de Montpellier, France, from which I graduated in 2001. During my engineering degree, in 2000, I visited the laboratory of Tom Blundell located in Cambridge UK where I discovered the fascinating area of structural bioinformatics. I further developed my taste for the molecular modelling of biological complexes during my PhD by studying receptor-antigen complexes, including antibody-antigen binary complexes and T cell receptor-MHC-peptide ternary complexes at the ImMunoGeneTics information system® (IMGT) in Montpellier, France. My PhD research resulted in the development of databases and algorithms, including IMGT/3Dstructure-DB, which is specialised in the analysis of NMR and crystallographic structures of antigen receptors. Since its creation in 1989 by Professor Marie-Paule Lefranc, IMGT is actively developed resource in immunology and has high popularity among immunologists and clinicians. In 2007, I was awarded a prestigious Australian Reasearch Council Postdoctoral fellowship to undertake research in the laboratory of Professor David Craik at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. My research since then focus on the study of the interaction of active peptides with various receptors, including the neural nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and serine proteases. I am particularly interested in characterising the energetics involved in molecular interactions, which is fundamental to optimise active peptide drug leads. Professor Craik is a world leader in the study of a large family of plant cyclic proteins, the cyclotides, which have an unparalleled stability that we try to arness to create new drugs. My favorite topic is the study of toxins produced by the carnivorous marine cone snails. Cone snails produce one of the most potent, neuro active venom known to man, and attracting considerable interests for the development of drugs, one of them being already used in the clinic for the treatment of intractable pain. My main contributions in this research area included a popular database called ConoServer (http://www.conoserver.org) and several theroretical studies of the specificity of cone snail toxins for neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes, which are involved in different aspects of cognition and memory. The scope of my research is mainly in theoretical computational studies and touch a wide range of subjects, from biophysics of molecular interactions to sequence analysis, databases, transcriptomics and proteomics. I also recently had significant contribution to UQ's teaching in Advanced Bioinformatics lectures, by undertaking ~50% of the lectures of this course.

Research Interests

  • alpha-conotoxin specificity for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
  • cyclotide structure/activity

Research Impacts

Through my databases, I contribute in disseminating knowledge to the broader publich as well as in exchanging information between researchers located in different countries. The impact of databases reach far beyond the simple collection of data, as the creation and management of databases require the classification, comparison and analyses of the elements it aim to describe, allowing the creation of new discoveries. I have made major contributions to three databases:

IMG/3Dstructure-DB, which provides important information on the structure of receptors from human and other vertebrate immune system;

CyBase, which catalogues sequence and structure on families of backbone cyclic proteins with potential drug design applications; and

ConoServer, specialising on toxins produced by carnivorous marine cone snails and have important pharmaceutical applications.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, UM2(FR)

Publications

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Grants

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Supervision

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Publications

Featured Publications

Book Chapter

  • A practical guide to structural aspects of macrocycles (NMR, x-ray, and modeling)

    Craik, David J., Kaas, Quentin and Wang, Conan K. (2017). A practical guide to structural aspects of macrocycles (NMR, x-ray, and modeling). In Eric Marsault and Mark L Peterson (Ed.), Practical medicinal chemistry with macrocycles: Design, synthesis, and case studies (pp. 25-57) Hoboken, New Jersey, United States: John Wiley & Sons. doi:10.1002/9781119092599.ch2

  • Conotoxins and other conopeptides

    Kaas, Quentin and Craik, David J. (2014). Conotoxins and other conopeptides. In Stéphane La Barre and Jean-Michel Kornprobst (Ed.), Outstanding Marine Molecules: Chemistry, Biology, Analysis (pp. 319-332) Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH Verlag. doi:10.1002/9783527681501.ch14

  • Antimicrobial Peptides in Plants

    Kaas, Quentin, Westermann, Jan-Christoph, Troeira Henriques, Sonia and Craik, David J. (2010). Antimicrobial Peptides in Plants. In Guangshun Wang (Ed.), Antimicrobial Peptides: Discovery, Design, and Novel Therapeutic Strategies (pp. 40-71) Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK: CAB International. doi:10.1079/9781845936570.0040

  • IMGT standardization for molecular characterization of the T-cell receptor/peptide/MHC complexes

    Kaas, Quentin, Duprat, Elodie, Tourneur, Guillaume and Lefranc, Marie-Paule (2008). IMGT standardization for molecular characterization of the T-cell receptor/peptide/MHC complexes. In Immunoinformatics (pp. 19-49) : Springer New York. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-72968-8_2

Journal Article

Conference Publication

  • Inhibition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes by the ribbon isomers of alpha-conotoxins

    Kaas, Quentin, Wu, Xiaosa, Tae, Han-Shen, Huang, Yen-Hua, Adams, David J. and Craik, David (2018). Inhibition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes by the ribbon isomers of alpha-conotoxins. In: 35th European Peptide Symposium, Dublin City University, Ireland, (S62-S62). 26-31 August 2018.

  • Targeting the coiled-coil domain of BCR-ABL1 kinase with new weapons

    Huang, Yen-Hua, Passioura, Toby, Peacock, Hayden, Henriques, Sonia Troeira, Wang, Conan, Kaas, Quentin, Suga, Hiroaki and Craik, David (2018). Targeting the coiled-coil domain of BCR-ABL1 kinase with new weapons. In: 35th European Peptide Symposium, Dublin City University, Ireland, (S160-S160). 26-31 August 2018.

  • Inhibitory Effects of Substrate-Based Bcr-Abl1 Kinase Inhibitors On the Growth of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cell Line K562

    Huang, Y. -H., Henriques, S. Troeira, Lawrence, N., Kaas, Q. and Craik, D. J. (2016). Inhibitory Effects of Substrate-Based Bcr-Abl1 Kinase Inhibitors On the Growth of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cell Line K562. In: 34th European Peptide Symposium, Leipzig, Germany, (S174-S174). 4‐9 September 2016. doi:10.1002/psc.2950

  • Towards An Understanding of A- Conotoxin Receptor Specificity

    Kaas, Q. and Craik, D. J. (2016). Towards An Understanding of A- Conotoxin Receptor Specificity. In: , , (S128-S128). .

  • Transcriptomic and peptidomic characterisation of the Conus marmoreus venom: Insights on conopeptide diversity and venomic processing

    Jin, Ai-hua, Dutertre, Sébastien, Kaas, Quentin, Lewis, Richard J. and Alewood, Paul F. (2012). Transcriptomic and peptidomic characterisation of the Conus marmoreus venom: Insights on conopeptide diversity and venomic processing. In: 17th World Congress of the International Society on Toxinology & Venom Week 2012, 4th International Scientific Symposium on All Things Venomous, 17th World Congress of the International Society on Toxinology & Venom Week 2012, 4th International Scientific Symposium on All Things Venomous. 17th World Congress of the International-Society-on-Toxinology (IST)/Venom Week/4th International Scientific Symposium on All Things Venomous, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, (144-145). 8-13 July 2012. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2012.04.099

  • A new "Era" for cyclotide sequencing

    Colgrave, Michelle L., Poth, Aaron G., Kaas, Quentin and Craik, David J. (2010). A new "Era" for cyclotide sequencing. In: 1st International Conference on Circular Proteins. Procceedings.. 1st International Conference on Circular Proteins, Heron Island, Qld, Australia, (592-601). 18-21 October 2009. doi:10.1002/bip.21400

  • Advances in MS/MS Sequencing of Cyclic Peptides: What's around the Bend?

    Colgrave, L., Poth, A., Kaas, Q. and Craik, D. (2010). Advances in MS/MS Sequencing of Cyclic Peptides: What's around the Bend?. In: Journal of Peptide Science. x, x, (113-113). x. doi:10.1002/psc.1303

  • Analysis and classification of circular proteins in CyBase

    Kaas, Quentin and Craik, David J. (2010). Analysis and classification of circular proteins in CyBase. In: International Conference on Circular Proteins. 1st International Conference on Circular Proteins, Heron Island, Qld, Australia, (584-591). 18-21 October, 2009. doi:10.1002/bip.21424

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

This staff member is a UQ Expert for media in the following fields:

peptide, computational biology, biophysics, molecular simualtions, conotoxins, cone snails, cyclic peptides, cyclotides, computers, drug design, molecules, proteins

They are happy to lend their expertise to your articles or broadcasts and share their research discoveries and insights with the community via media channels.

For additional assistance with story ideas, general advice and information or help with seeking further experts, please email the UQ Media Team or telephone (07) 3365 1120.

Links

ResearcherID: J-8727-2014

ORCID: 0000-0001-9988-6152

Scopus ID: 6506460383

Google Scholar ID:

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