news
Publication: paper on an anti-polyglutamine oligomeric chaperone studies published!
Congratulations to our postdoc Dr. Irina Matlahov and our collaborators in the group of Prof. Lukasz Joachimiak at UTSW! Our new paper on the structure and function of an oligomer chaperone prohibiting polyglutamine aggregation has now been published in the journal Nature Communications. In it, we deploy a combination of solid-state NMR (ssNMR), solution NMR, cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) and other methods to visualise and understand these Hsp40 DnaJB8. This so-called co-chaperone teams up with Hsp70 to prevent polyglutamine aggregation in cells, but has been hard to understand. This is because it has itself a strong propensity to self-aggregate (or […]
MOSBRI Biophysics Infrastructure
Starting later this year, the RUG ssNMR group will be of the newly funded MOlecular-Scale Biophysics Research Infrastructure (MOSBRI) network. This EU-wide consortium enables ambitious integrative multi-technological studies of biological systems at the crucial intermediate level between atomic-resolution structural descriptions and cellular-scale observations. MOSBRI provides European academic and industrial researchers with a one-stop shop Trans-National Access to the latest technological developments in advanced spectroscopies, hydrodynamics, thermodynamics, real-time kinetics and single molecule approaches. More information can be found on the MOSBRI website, and also on our own MOSBRI page. This infrastructure network is supported by EU funding and features resources in many EU countries (and […]
Online presentation: our work featured in the Polymer Physics & Polymer Spectroscopy (P3S) webinar series
Patrick was invited to present some of our work in the P3S webinar series organised by three research groups from Europe, China and the US. This recurring series has included many interesting talks on studies of polymers and hydrogels by various spectroscopic techniques, with a recurring role for (solid-state) NMR spectroscopy. Patrick spoke about our published work on studying the repeating polymer structures of polyglutamine proteins [1] and (briefly) our newer investigations of polysaccharide hydrogels [2] . In the former topic, the talk discussed the use and benefits of torsion angle measurements by solid-state NMR, as demonstrated in our prior […]
New (e)book on membrane studies by solid-state NMR released online.
Now available online: we have contributed a chapter to a new (e)book on the topic of solid-state NMR studies of membranes and membrane proteins, edited by Frances Separovic and Marc-Antoine Sani (Univ. Melbourne, Australia). The edited volume “Solid state NMR. Applications in biomembrane structure.” was released in the IOP series in association with the Biophysical Society. Our chapter (Solid-state NMR studies of peripherally membrane-associated proteins: dealing with dynamics, disorder and dilute conditions [1]) looks at several studies that use ssNMR to probe peripheral membrane proteins. A key focus is on our own work on the mitochondrial protein cytochrome c, and […]
O-ChemS website available
The Solid-state NMR group is part of the O-ChemS consortium at the University of Groningen, working on supramolecular systems and materials that operate out of equilibrium. These materials borrow principles from life and nature, to attain unique functional properties. The website of this consortium is now live, available at: www.o-chems.nl.
Webinars of interest (during COVID)
During the COVID19 pandemic many conferences were cancelled, but also various interesting new online alternatives came into being. Below are a few relevant seminar series with relevance to our past and current research. Protein aggregation & chaperones Proteostasis Consortium Protein Society Webinars Protein Folding and Dynamics IDP seminars IDP SIG Molecular Bases of Proteinopathies NMR related Emerging Topics in Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance (YouTube) Global NMR Discussion meetings (YouTube) MIT SSNMR/DNP zoom seminars P3S seminars MLU Halle ICMRBS Early Careers Seminars Intercontinental NMR Seminar Series (ICONS2020) Membranes and lipids ASBMB Lipid Research Division seminars Biophysics KNAW BiophysicsNL Talks
New publication on structure of mutant huntingtin protein from Huntington’s Disease
Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Boatz and other team members for the acceptance and publication of a nice new paper on the structure of the misfolded mutant protein from Huntington’s disease. The paper is online at the Journal of Molecular Biology. Based on an integration of multiple techniques (NMR, EM, and X-ray diffraction), Jennifer assembled a new structural model of the protofilaments that make up the hierarchical fiber architecture of mutant huntingtin exon 1. This is a timely and important step forward in our understanding of the (mis)behaviour of the HD protein, and in particular how it forms pathogenic inclusions and […]
New review paper on ssNMR studies of polysaccharide hydrogels
PhD student Mustapha El Hariri El Nokab has put together a nice new review of solid-state NMR studies of polysaccharide hydrogels, which is now out in the journal Carbohydrate Polymers. This review is part of his research project that make use of solid-state NMR (and other tools) to look at functional polysaccharide hydrogels. This new research direction in the lab also constitutes part of our participation in the new Physics of Cancer (www.phycan.nl) initiative of the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials. Please find the open-access published paper at the journal Carbohydrate Polymers: Mustapha El Hariri El Nokab, Patrick CA van […]
Competitive PhD Scholarships call open (deadline April 1st)
Our Institute and Faculty have opened up a competitive call for PhD scholarship applications. Our solid-state NMR group participates in one of the research theme areas, designated as “Advanced Materials”, which spans topics from physics of life, via bio-inspired materials, to materials and much more. The process is described in some detail on the RuG website. Briefly, applicants (with a MSc degree) are expected to contact a PI/supervisor (immediately!) and develop a fitting project to submit. The submission deadline of an initial idea (few hundred words) is due by April 1st 2020! Suitable ideas are expected to fit within designated […]
New Publication on Lipid Oxidation
Now online in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine: a new review and perspective article by our collaborator Valerian Kagan (Univ. Pittsburgh). The paper (titled “Redox phospholipidomics of enzymatically generated oxygenated phospholipids as specific signals of programmed cell death”) examines the role of controlled lipid oxidation as a source of vital cellular signals. In particular it reviews recent work showing how cardiolipins and phosphatidylethanolamine lipids are oxidised by enzymes, as triggers of apoptosis and ferroptosis. Interestingly, the enzymatically generated oxidised species are distinct from those generated by spontaneous peroxidation, which may be important for the regulatory role of these […]