Sjors SCHERES: Reconstruction of Cryo-EM Images of Proteins to Atomic Resolution
Event details
| Date | 15.04.2021 |
| Hour | 17:00 › 18:00 |
| Speaker | Sjors Scheres, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, UK |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
This event is part of the EPFL Seminar Series in Imaging (https://imagingseminars.org).
Abstract. The three-dimensional positions of atoms in protein molecules define their structure and their roles in biological processes. The more precisely atomic coordinates are determined, the more chemical information can be derived and the more mechanistic insights into protein function may be inferred. Electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) single-particle analysis has yielded protein structures with increasing levels of detail in recent years. However, it has proved difficult to obtain cryo-EM reconstructions with sufficient resolution to visualize individual atoms in proteins.
I will introduce the general principles of cryo-EM reconstruction and present how we recently used new electron microscopy hardware and software to calculate cryo-EM reconstructions of a test protein (apoferritin) to atomic resolution. Our technological advances, combined with further approaches to accelerate data acquisition and improve sample quality, provide a route towards routine application of cryo-EM in high-throughput screening of small molecule modulators and structure-based drug discovery.
Biography. Sjors Scheres is a Group Leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biologoy, Cambridge. He is also joint Head of the Structural Studies division there. His main interests lie in the development of new methods for high-resolution cryo-EM structure determination, and their application to amyloid filaments.
Abstract. The three-dimensional positions of atoms in protein molecules define their structure and their roles in biological processes. The more precisely atomic coordinates are determined, the more chemical information can be derived and the more mechanistic insights into protein function may be inferred. Electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) single-particle analysis has yielded protein structures with increasing levels of detail in recent years. However, it has proved difficult to obtain cryo-EM reconstructions with sufficient resolution to visualize individual atoms in proteins.
I will introduce the general principles of cryo-EM reconstruction and present how we recently used new electron microscopy hardware and software to calculate cryo-EM reconstructions of a test protein (apoferritin) to atomic resolution. Our technological advances, combined with further approaches to accelerate data acquisition and improve sample quality, provide a route towards routine application of cryo-EM in high-throughput screening of small molecule modulators and structure-based drug discovery.
Biography. Sjors Scheres is a Group Leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biologoy, Cambridge. He is also joint Head of the Structural Studies division there. His main interests lie in the development of new methods for high-resolution cryo-EM structure determination, and their application to amyloid filaments.
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Organizer
- Imaging@EPFL
Contact
- Laurène Donati