Author: Patrick
Publication: Protocols for membrane protein studies by solid-state NMR (including drug interactions)
Our invited ‘protocol’ paper is now available in the journal Protein Science (Protein Society), authored by Alessia Lasorsa and Patrick van der Wel. In this report we described our “Solid-state NMR protocols for unveiling dynamics and (drug) interactions of membrane-bound proteins”. This paper was based on an invitation to contribute to the “Tools for Protein Science 2025” special issue. We opted for contributing a discussion of how we use solid-state NMR to probe membrane-bound proteins. More specifically, we summarized protocols we developed in years of work on mitochondrial lipid-protein interactions. A special focus in the report is on some recent […]
Publication: Peptide-based self-assemblers and self-replicators (with insights from ssNMR).
Congratulations to our collaborators in the group of Sijbren Otto (RUG), and Alessia, for the new paper in the journal Chem. This report discusses how self-assembling and self-replicating molecules can borrow principles from polypeptide amyloid formation. In particular, the concept of ‘steric zippers’ proves to be highly relevant – an idea from the amyloid field that comes out of seminal work by the group of David Eisenberg (UCLA). Our contributions in this new paper relate to the use of 1D and 2D solid-state NMR analysis of the self-assembled materials, in samples where targeted isotope-labeled amino acids were incorporated. With these […]
Publication: Structure of protein aggregates implicated in Huntington disease
Congratulations to Irina, Greeshma, and Raffaella, together with our international network of collaborators, on a newly published paper that came out in Nature Communications in Dec 2024, in a special collection on the Biology of rare genetic disorders. In this collaborative work, we looked at the structure of proteins behind Huntington’s disease (HD), enabled by crucial funding from the CampagneTeam Huntington and the CHDI Foundation. HD is an inherited neurodegenerative disease, with patients having a mutated form of the huntingtin (HTT) gene. The mutation affects a repeating sequence of CAG codons that has been expanded in HD patients. This translates […]
Publication: NMR of 13C-labeled hyaluronic acid hydrogels (in context of ECM)
Congratulations to PhD student Pushpa Rampratap (and her co-authors!) on the publication of a new paper on the use of solid-state NMR spectroscopy to study hydrogels that mimic aspects of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Building on her previously published approach to produce 13C labeled hyaluronic acid (HA; with very high molecular weights), she performed extensive series of magic-angle-spinning NMR analyses of HA hydrogels under various conditions. Notably, this included ECM-mimicking conditions that are commonly used in cell culture and biomedical engineering studies (using the Geltrex ECM extract). The resulting (very nice) paper shows the power of combining 13C enrichment with […]
Funding: new grant from the Barth Syndrome Foundation
We are excited to have received a Development Award grant from the international Barth Syndrome Foundation, enabling us to continue and develop our work studying the molecular mechanisms of this inherited lipid metabolism disease. This is in a sense a follow-up to our recent collaborative publication on this topic. In our paper in Nature Metabolism we used magic-angle-spinning NMR spectroscopy to probe a protein-lipid complex implicated in Barth Syndrome. The NMR analysis showed it to be highly dynamic, with enhanced mobility triggered by the lyso-cardiolipin lipids that are increased in BTHS. Moreover, we showed that it was feasible to probe […]
Visitor lecture series on solution-state NMR analysis
In the week of May 13-17, we will have an international visitor coming to present a series of educational and research lectures at the University of Groningen. Dr. Andrea Cesari will present a series of four lectures on various aspects of solution-state NMR analysis. Everyone is welcome to attend. For questions please contact the host P.C.A. van der Wel (p.c.a.van.der.wel@rug.nl). Speaker Dr. Andrea Cesari Address Fixed-term Junior Researcher (RTDa), Organic Chemist and NMR Spectroscopist at Università di Pisa Lecture titles: 1. From Sample to Spectrum: good practises in liquid-state NMR Spectroscopy 2. Exploring the NMR toolkit for molecular recognition studies – from relaxation times […]
Publication: New paper about photochemical approaches to studying polyQ protein aggregation.
Congratulations to PhD student Raffaella Parlato, Dr. Jana Volaric, and their collaborators, on the publication of a nice new paper in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. This is the final result of an idea from some years ago, which came together very nicely thanks to a great team of collaborators. The goal of this work was to explore the idea of putting polyglutamine aggregation under some degree of photo-control. In prior work, it has been shown that b-hairpin formation is a key step in the aggregation process of expanded polyQ proteins. Azobenzene-based groups can be used to favor […]
Publication: Review article on polyglutamine protein analysis by solid-state NMR spectroscopy.
Our new review article summarizing progress in polyglutamine protein studies by solid-state NMR is now available on the website of the journal Biochemical Society Transactions. This is an invited mini-review that was requested to cover the progress made in our understanding the aggregation and misfolding of mutant polyglutamine proteins implicated in diseases such as Huntington’s disease and several versions of spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA). We describe how studies from ssNMR has been used to better understand the structure of these protein aggregates, and thus helps us analyze how the aggregation process occurs and how aggregates may play a role in these […]
Publication: collaborative paper on perovskite-related materials, with Sn and Se ssNMR
Congrats to our collaborators from the group of Maria Loi and others for the publication of their new paper on in situ SnSe deposition as passivation for scalable and stable quasi-2D lead–tin perovskite solar cells, in the journal Energy & Environmental Science. Dr. Lasorsa in our group contributed tin and selenium ssNMR analysis to this interdisciplinary paper. For more information see the paper at the journal. Publication: Chen L, Tekelenburg EK, Gahlot K, Pitaro M, Xi J, Lasorsa A, et al. In situ SnSe deposition as passivation for scalable and stable quasi-2D lead–tin perovskite solar cells. Energy Environ Sci. 2023;10.1039.D3EE02507A.
Upcoming Symposium Dutch Protein Aggregation Network DPAN
Hold the date! On November 30th there will be an inaugural symposium of the Dutch Protein Aggregation Network (DPAN), sponsored by NWO. This one-day even (free registration) will be held at the VU in Amsterdam. It welcomes all Dutch researchers interested in protein aggregation related to human disease (including PIs, PhD students, postdocs..). The DPAN network aims to bring together the protein aggregation researchers of The Netherlands. With the help of NWO sponsorship DPAN will start with a one-day symposium on Nov 30th. This will take place at the O|2 building of the VU in Amsterdam. The keynote speaker will […]