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News

9 Sep 2020

A Celebration of Instruct-ERIC: Achievements, Impact and Expanding Ambitions

It is our great pleasure to invite you to a virtual event celebrating the achievements of Instruct-ERIC in the time since achieving European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) status in 2017. The event will celebrate the achievements of Instruct-ERIC, recognising the hard work and commitment of the consortium, staff, supporters and users, in the wider context of the successful European Research Infrastructure landscape.

7 Sep 2020

Emerging Topics in Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance – Vipin Agarwal (TIFR Hyderabad) & Ruan Ke (University of Science & Technology of China)

The series Emerging topics in Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance will continue on September 10th at 16:00 CEST with the following lecturers and topics:

Vipin Agarwal: Proton detected experiments for structural characterization of biomolecules and a-synuclin fibril polymorphs from different aggregation intermediates
Ruan Ke: Fragment to lead evolution guided by paramagnetic NMR approaches

28 Aug 2020

Josef Dadok National NMR Centre installed a nitrogen liquification unit for its 850 MHz NMR spectrometer

The liquification unit called BSNL (Bruker Smart Nitrogen Liquefier) uses an excess cooling capacity of the cryogenic probe system to liquify and recycle the nitrogen evaporating from the magnet. The nitrogen refill interval is thus extended from 2-3 weeks to more than 6 months.

28 Aug 2020

Research scientist for the Centre of Molecular Structure - Biophysical methods facility

Biophysical Methods facility of BIOCEV is looking for a research scientist specialised in biophysical techniques and/or spectroscopic techniques.

27 Aug 2020

Appointment of the CIISB Executive Committee

On August 23, 2020, two years term of the renewed CIISB Executive Committee started. By the decision of CEITEC MU and IBT CAS directors, Jiří Nantl and Bohdan Schneider, the committee will work in the following composition: Chair Vladimír Sklenář (CEITEC MU), Vice-Chair Jan Dohnálek (IBT CAS), Petr Novák (IBT CAS), Pavel Plevka (CEITEC MU), Bohdan Schneider (IBT CAS), Ivana Kutá Smatanová (CSSB), Richard Štefl (CEITEC MU), and Michaela Wimmerová (CEITEC MU). The first meeting of the new executive committee will take place on September 22, 2020 at BIOCEV, Vestec u Prahy.

27 Aug 2020

Summer newsletter 2020. Special Issue: structural biology in the fight against COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the world. At the frontline of COVID-19 research efforts, structural biologists have been working to determine the structure and mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 and identify targets for therapeutics and vaccines.

Despite immense pressure and challenging working conditions, the scientific community has shown resilience and determination, collaborating with colleagues across the world to deliver vital research quickly and safely. At Instruct Centres, scientists have been working within local guidelines to mobilise resources and support vital COVID research.

Instruct-ERIC continues to work closely with life science communities in Europe and beyond, supporting researchers in their efforts to study the virus.

Highlights of Coronavirus Structural Studies

5 May 2020

Structure, Function, and Antigenicity of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in >90,000 infections and >3,000 deaths. Coronavirus spike (S) glycoproteins promote entry into cells and are the main target of antibodies. We show that SARS-CoV-2 S uses ACE2 to enter cells and that the receptor-binding domains of SARS-CoV-2 S and SARS-CoV S bind with similar affinities to human ACE2, correlating with the efficient spread of SARS-CoV-2 among humans. We found that the SARS-CoV-2 S glycoprotein harbors a furin cleavage site at the boundary between the S₁/S₂ subunits, which is processed during biogenesis and sets this virus apart from SARS-CoV and SARS-related CoVs. In the study published in Cell, David Veesler with coworkers determined cryo-EM structures of the SARS-CoV-2 S ectodomain trimer, providing a blueprint for the design of vaccines and inhibitors of viral entry. Finally, they demonstrate that SARS-CoV S murine polyclonal antibodies potently inhibited SARS-CoV-2 S mediated entry into cells, indicating that cross-neutralizing antibodies targeting conserved S epitopes can be elicited upon vaccination.

Newsletters

Reader's Corner Archive

TIP

30 Jul 2019

Principles for Integrative Structural Biology Studies

Guru of integrative structural biology computation Andrej Sali and Michale P. Rout summarize in the recent Cell Primer Principles for Integrative Structural Biology Studies.

Visualization of biological macromolecules at near-atomic resolution: cryo-electron microscopy comes of age

The topical review by Alok K. Mitra recapitulates developments and transformational advances of cryo-EM technology.

16 Jul 2019

The expanding toolkit for structural biology: synchrotrons, X-ray lasers and cryo-EM

Samar Hasnain et. al. describe the steadily-expanding methodologies for atomic resolution studies in The expanding toolkit for structural biology: synchrotrons, X-ray lasers and cryo-EM. Of note is the following statistics: Despite the wealth of structures in the Protein Data Bank, a closer examination reveals that 89% of the structures, i.e. 126 994, are of proteins or complexes with a molecular weight of less than 160 kDa. Furthermore, only 4% of the deposited structures have a molecular weight in excess of 300 kDa.