M. Tegoni

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques

Papers

Total Citations

138

H-Index

About

M. Tegoni is a structural biologist whose research spans two distinct yet equally fascinating domains: bacteriophage biology and insect chemical communication. Their most impactful contribution lies in elucidating the modular architecture of receptor binding proteins in *Lactococcus lactis* phages, work that garnered 113 citations and holds significant implications for the dairy industry, where phage contamination poses persistent challenges to fermentation processes. By characterizing how phages from the prominent 936 and P335 species recognize and bind their bacterial hosts, Tegoni's research has advanced understanding of phage-host specificity at the molecular level. Complementing this work, Tegoni has made meaningful contributions to insect chemical ecology through crystallographic studies of pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs). Their crystallization and structural investigations of PBPs from the honeybee *Apis mellifera* and the cockroach *Leucophaea maderae* have helped illuminate how these small helical proteins transport pheromone molecules to olfactory receptors — a process fundamental to insect behavior and communication. The methodological refinement of crystal growth from nanodrops further demonstrates Tegoni's technical ingenuity. Across these research threads, their work exemplifies how structural biology can illuminate diverse biological systems with broad scientific and applied relevance.