John F. Nagle
Emeritus Professor
Biological Physics Experiment and Theory
Wean Hall 6420
412-951-5748
Education & Professional Experience
Ph.D.: Yale University
Professional Societies:
Fellow, American Physical Society
Biophysical Society
Honors and Awards:
Biophysical Society Avanti Award in Lipids (2003)
Research Interests
Prof. John Nagle's research is in the area of biological physics. The particular systems under study are lipid bilayers, which form the structural basis of biomembranes, as well as these systems with additives pertinent to biomembranes. The Nagle group's studies focus on x-ray scattering, as well as theoretical modeling, statistical mechanical calculations and simulations, and volume measurements. The first goal is to obtain reliable data for basic structural properties and their mechanical properties. Another goal is to elucidate the interactions between bilayers. For biologically relevant fluid phase lipid bilayers, these goals involve measuring nanoscale fluctuations, for which they use synchrotron x-rays. A longer-range goal is to understand how the molecular interactions bring about the structure and the fluctuations.
Some Recent Publications
Lucy Knox, Peter Winstel, Markus Deserno, John F. Nagle, and Stephanie Tristram-Nagle, Bending moduli of mixtures: Diffusional softening and interactions.
John F. Nagle, Review of lipid bilayer structure.
Frank Heinrich and John F. Nagle, The effect of cholesterol on the bending modulus of DOPC bilayers: Re-analysis of NSE Data.
Sophia A. Korono , John F. Nagle, Closer look at the calorimetric lower transition in lipid bilayers. Chem. Phys. Lipids 259, 105366 (2024)
John F. Nagle, Understanding the phase behavior of a protobiomembrane. Physical Review E 107, 064408, 1-10 (2023)
J. F. Nagle, N. Jennings, W. Qin, D. Yan, S. Tristram-Nagle, F. Heinrich, Structure of the gel phase of diC22:1PC lipid bilayers determined by x-ray diffraction. Biophys. J. 122, 1033-1042 (2023)
John F. Nagle, Measuring the bending modulus of lipid bilayers with cholesterol,
John F. Nagle, Stephanie Tristram-Nagle, Structure of lipid bilayers,
M. Mert Terzi, Markus Deserno and John F. Nagle, Mechanical properties of lipid bilayers: a note on the Poisson ratio,
John F. Nagle, Area Compressibility Moduli of the Monolayer Leaflets of Asymmetric Bilayers from Simulations,
John F. Nagle et al., Revisiting Volumes of Lipid Components in Bilayers,
John F. Nagle, Pierre Cognet, Fernando G. Dupuy, and Stephanie Tristram-Nagle, Structure of Gel Phase DPPC Determined by X-ray Diffraction,