Blog Posts
New ssNMR spectrometer update
The new NIH-funded 750MHz solid-state NMR instrument has now been delivered to the Department of Structural Biology NMR facility. It is currently being installed and configured.
NEW: Photos of the installation process are available in this online gallery.
This state-of-the-art instrument adds exciting new capabilities for advanced MAS ssNMR to the facility, such as the inclusion of new ‘very-fast’ MAS probes. The spectrometer will facilitate and enhance our ongoing studies of protein misfolding and aggregation in Huntington’s Disease, and studies of the protein-lipid interactions underlying cell death and neurodegeneration.
Biophysical Society meeting news!
Congratulations to Jennifer and Abhishek, for being selected for a talk and awarded travel grants for the coming Biophysical Society Meeting in San Diego! We look forward to seeing you there, and tell you more about our studies of protein deposition diseases and protein-lipid interactions.
Update: see also the press release by the Biophysical Society.
Publication: Solid-state NMR studies of the pro-apoptotic peroxidase-form of cytochrome c.
Congratulations to Abhishek and his co-authors!
The Biophysical Journal has accepted our paper on the structural and functional study of cardiolipin-bound cytochrome c, looking at its peroxidase activated membrane-bound state. Lipid oxidation by cytochrome c plays a critical role in mitochondrial apoptosis, and we examined the molecular underpinnings of this process using solid-state NMR spectroscopy and other tools.
For more information see the paper:
Mandal, A., Hoop, C.L., DeLucia, M., Kodali, R., Kagan, V., Ahn, J., Van der Wel, P.C.A.* (2015) Structural changes and pro-apoptotic peroxidase activity of cardiolipin-bound mitochondrial cytochrome c. Biophys. J. J. 109(9): 1873–1884 (Full text)
Great Lakes NMR Symposium
On Friday Sept. 11th, Case Western Reserve University is organizing the Great Lakes Regional NMR Symposium. Congratulations to Abhishek Mandal for being selected to present a seminar on his work on membrane protein structural and functional studies! We hope to see you there!
Congrats to Jennifer!
Congratulations to Jennifer, who successfully completed her candidacy exam for the MBSB PhD program! Well done!
Summer Science Nation visitors!
Today (July 15, 2015) we had a great visit to our department from participants in Carlow University’s Summer Science Nation workshop aimed at high school girls interested in science. Group members, students and other scientists from the Department of Structural Biology and the Molecular Biophysics and Structural Biology graduate program participated in facility tours and seminars, telling the visitors about some of the exciting fundamental biomedical research ongoing in the department and in Pittsburgh.
New spectrometer update (revised July ’15).
Our new wide-bore 750MHz solid-state NMR spectrometer (funded by the NIH High-End Instrumentation Award program) is scheduled to be installed during the summer (July 2015) in the fall of 2015. This will bring exciting new solid-state NMR capabilities, including lower temperature operation and ultra-fast MAS, among other things. Stay tuned for further updates!
Biophysical Society Meeting 2015 in Baltimore
Members of the Van der Wel lab will be at the upcoming 59th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society in Baltimore, MD. Come and see us (and our work) there!
Conference website: BPS 2015
Polyglutamine research funded by NIH
Starting January 2015, the NIH NIGMS has awarded our R01 proposal on the molecular characterization of the misfolding and aggregation of expanded polyglutamine proteins. Polyglutamine expansion underlies various related diseaseas, including Huntington’s Disease and several other ataxias. The nature of the misfolding mechanism and the structures of the misfolded species remain poorly understood. The R01 will support our ongoing studies using magic-angle-spinning NMR (and other tools) to provide the need structural insights.
Congratulations to Dr Cody Hoop!
Congratulations to Cody, for defending her PhD thesis entitled “Site-specific structure and dynamics of polyglutamine-containing amyloid fibrils and the caveolin scaffolding domain by magic angle spinning solid-state NMR.”!