CSSB: Newsletter 21

Two Grants for CSSB's Kosinski Group

In the last quarter of 2023, Jan Kosinski (EMBL) received two grants totaling 2.9 million euro. The grants will support two exciting new projects: one project focuses on the mechanisms of endocytosis of a parasite and the other seeks to understand the molecular complexes of protein synthesis machinery. "It's great to begin 2024 with two exciting new projects," notes Kosinski "I am looking forward to working on both projects with my collaborators over the next few years."

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iGEM Hamburg Team secures gold and a special prize

The iGEM Team Hamburg 2023 successfully showcased their project transFERRITIN at the annual iGEM Grand Jamboree, the synthetic biology industry’s largest innovation event hosted by the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Foundation. During the Grand Jamboree in Paris, the Hamburg team was not only awarded a gold medal, but also the "Best Presentation Prize" in the "Overgraduate" category.

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Holger Sondermann appointed new Scientific Director of CSSB

CSSB is under new scientific leadership this year. Prof. Dr. Holger Sondermann, a leading scientist at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) and professor at the University of Kiel took over as the new CSSB Scientific Director for the coming two years. On 1 December 2023, the CSSB Council confirmed the CSSB Directorate's nomination of Prof. Sondermann.

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FZB @ CSSB WELCOME SYMPOSIUM

On March 8, 2024, Research Center Borstel will celebrate becoming a CSSB partner with a welcome symposium entitled "Decoding Mycobacterial Dynamics - from Structure to Function." The keynote speaker is Wilbert Bitter from the University of Amsterdam. Talks will also be given by Caroline Barisch, Thomas Gutsmann and Susanne Homolka.

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CSSB Seminars

Upcoming CSSB Seminars:

April 25: Francesca Bottanelli, Freie Universität Berlin
May 2: Wanda Kukulski, University of Bern
May 27: Chi-Min Ho, Columbia University
June 6: Petr Chlanda, Heidelberg University Hospital
June 13: Damien Devos, Institut Pasteur

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TEMPy-ReFF: Fine-Tuning Cryo-EM Models

The images of molecular complexes generated by electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) are often a bit blurry and of low resolution. This makes the process of generating molecular models that reveal the structure and function of these complexes, quite difficult and time consuming. To aid researchers in this process, CSSB's Topf group has developed TEMPy-ReFF, a new method for atomic structure refinement in cryo-EM density maps.

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Composition of Vaccina Virus Core Revealed

Vaccinia virus is considered to be the prototype of the poxvirus. This virus was used as a live vaccine to eradicate smallpox in the 1970's; however, the structure of the mature virus is poorly understood. CSSB's Grünewald group together with collaborators have revealed some key insights into the composition and structure of this poxvirus' core.

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RNA to Rule Them All

Lassa virus (LASV) is the pathogen that causes Lassa hemorrhagic fever, a disease endemic to West Africa, which causes approximately 5,000 deaths each year. The Uetrecht (CSSB, LIV, Uni Siegen), Kosinski (CSSB, EMBL) and Rosenthal (BNITM, CSSB) groups worked together to reveal the crucial role played by RNA in critical steps of the Lassa virus life cycle.

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Understanding the Molecular Mechanisms of Salmonella Infection

To initiate infection, many Gram-negative bacteria inject bacterial proteins into human cells. The bacteria accomplish this by building a complex, syringe-like molecular machine known as the type III secretion system (T3SS). The Marlovits group (UKE, DESY) together with CSSB's light microscopy facility as well as collaborators from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) and the Hannover Medical School (MHH) have gained new structural insights into how proteins secreted by the TS33 subvert the host cell's actin cytoskeleton during infection.

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The secret of molecular promiscuity

How do cells eat? This question lies at the focus of research undertaken by the Löw Group. Using structural biology methods, they explore how 'promiscuous' proteins enable cells to absorb nutrients, and how this could be used to make drug uptake more efficient in the future.

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Neutralising antibodies that target resistant bacteria

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a major challenge to healthcare systems worldwide. Due to numerous resistance mechanisms, infections with the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa are particularly feared. Researchers at the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), the University Hospital Cologne, the HZI in Braunschweig and CSSB/UKE have now discovered antibodies that could lead to a highly potent treatment option of acute and chronic infections with P. aeruginosa.

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The malaria parasite: a quick-change artist

An international research team succeeds in gaining insight into the malaria pathogen Plasmodium falciparum's molecular bag of tricks. Two completely different hosts, a multitude of different tissues: The malaria parasite is extremely adaptable. In the course of its life cycle, it develops different cell forms over several generations. But how this metamorphosis takes place in detail is largely unclear. Molecular biologists from ten European research institutes have now used high-resolution imaging techniques to visualise the cell skeleton of many parasite forms.

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