FY2014 Annual Report
Molecular Cryo-Electron Microscopy Unit
Assistant Professor Matthias Wolf
Abstract
The highlight of this year were the delivery and installation of game-changing equipment: The world’s first Talos Arctica cryo-TEM, a K2 detector and phase plate for the Titan Krios, and the TeneoVS for serial blockface imaging. A second cryo-TEM was important to offload sample screening and data collection from the Titan Krios. Two additional researchers were added with Alan Maigne and Yoshimasa Takizawa towards the end of the year. Dr. Sugita obtained Kakenhi and IMSUT grants for research on influenza virus.
1. Staff
- Dr. Matthias Wolf, Professor
- Dr. Shun-Yen Yang, Researcher
- Dr. Vladimir A. Meshcheryakov, Researcher
- Dr. Yukihiko Sugita, Researcher
- Dr. Alan Maigne
- Izaak Coleman, intern student
- Rika Yoshizawa, Research Administrator
2. Collaborations
2.1 Structure of Poliovirus isoforms
- Type of collaboration: Joint research
- Researchers:
- Professor James M. Hogle, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
2.2 Structure of Papilloma- and Polyomaviruses
- Type of collaboration: Joint research
- Researchers:
- Professor Robert L. Garcea, University of Colorado at Boulder, Bio Frontiers Institute, USA
2.3 Structure of Rosettasome Variants and Sulfolobus Cell Morphology
- Type of collaboration: Joint research
- Researchers:
- Professor Jonathan Trent, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA, USA
2.4 30S Ribosome – Methyltransferase Complex
- Type of collaboration: Joint research
- Researchers:
- Professor Petr Sergiev, Belozersky Institute, Moscow State University, Russian Federation
2.5 Project: Ion Channel Structure:
- Researcher: Dr. Vladimir Meshcheryakov
2.6 Project: Structure of Flagellar Proteins in Thermophiles
- Researcher: Dr. Vladimir Meshcheryakov
2.7 Project: Novel Methods for Determining Drosophila Brain Structure
- Researcher: Dr. Shun-Jen Yang
- Techniques: SEM, Correlative Light- and EM (CLEM), High Pressure Freezing
2.8 Project: Structure of Ebolavirus VLP and Nucleocapsid
- Type of collaboration: Joint research
- Researchers:
- Dr. Yukihiko Sugita
- Prof. Takeshi Noda, Prof. Yoshihiro Kawaoka, IMSUT, Japan; University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
- Techniques: cryo-EM
2.9 Project: Structure of Influenzavirus RNPs
- Type of collaboration: Joint research
- Researchers:
- Dr. Yukihiko Sugita
- Prof. Takeshi Noda, Prof. Yoshihiro Kawaoka, IMSUT, Japan; University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
- Techniques: cryo-EM, CLEM
2.10 OIST-internal collaborations:
- Prof. Samatey: Campylobacter polyhook
3. Activities and Findings
Nothing to report.
4. Publications
4.1 Journals
- Meshcheryakov VA, Yoon YH, Matsunami H, Wolf M, Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of the flagellar accessory protein FlaH from methanogenic archaeon Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, Acta Cryst Sec F Struct Biol Comm
4.2 Books and other one-time publications
Nothing to report
4.3 Oral and Poster Presentations
- OIST internal seminar, Wolf M, 2014/9/19, “A High Throughput Pipeline for Cryo-EM”
- The 87th annual meeting of the Japanese Biochemical Society, Kyoto, 2014/10/16, Wolf M, invited speaker, “Molecular Cryo-Electron Microscopy for Viruses”
- 4th Negative Strand Virus-Japan Symposium, 2015/1/19, Ginowan, Okinawa, Sugita Y, “Cryo-electron microscopic analysis of Ebola viral nucleocapcid”
5. Intellectual Property Rights and Other Specific Achievements
Nothing to report
6. Meetings and Events
6.1 Research Visit
Nothing to report.
6.2 Invited Seminar Speakers
- Dr. Chen Xu
- Advanced Control for Modern TEM Operation
- Date: 8/3/2014
- Prof. Jonathan Trent
- Lecture 1: Sustainability on a resource-limited planet
- Lecture 2: Inside story on the structure and function of a living nano-machine
- Date: Nov 11/12, 2014, C209
- Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka
- Discussion of joint collaboration on Influenzavirus Project
- Date: Jan 21, 2014, OIST
- Dr. Alan Maigne
- Lecture on EELS Spectroscopy
- Date: 4/11/2014
7. Other
Nothing to report.