Scientists from 4 research study institutes in Hamburg have developed the Spitrobot, a groundbreaking experimental setup that streamlines observing modifications in proteins as they function. The device makes time-resolved crystallography more available to non-specialist research study groups by allowing samples to be prepared in standard laboratories and processed by automated high-throughput approaches. The Spitrobot streamlines the entire sample preparation process, from repairing protein crystals to cryo-trapping proteins at numerous stages of improvement. This innovation will speed up basic research in health and disease, as it enables more research groups to conduct experiments that were previously exclusive to experts. Credit: Lea von Soosten, UKE
Spitrobot is a groundbreaking experimental device developed by researchers in Hamburg that streamlines observing protein changes and makes time-resolved crystallography more accessible. This will speed up research study in health and illness and allow more research study groups to perform formerly exclusive experiments.
Researchers from 4 research study institutes in the Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld have actually joined forces to develop a ground-breaking experimental setup. The gadget will accelerate essential research in health and illness.
To establish future drugs and develop brand-new biotechnological applications, it is fundamental that scientists comprehend the changes in proteins while these are taking place. Numerous such snapshots put together then produce a 3D stop-motion-movie, showing the modifications in the protein structure over time from all angles.
Up until now, such experiments have actually required direct access to particle accelerators (synchrotrons and XFELs) and complex experimental setups, which are out of grab many researchers. Therefore, scientists from Hamburg University (UHH), limit Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD), the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), and the University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf (UKE), all in Hamburg, have actually created a different and even more available option– the Spitrobot.
The Spitrobot drastically simplifies the entire sample preparation procedure, from the initial fixing of the protein crystals and kick-starting the response through to the accurate cryo-trapping of the proteins at various stages of their change. Reactions are initiated simply by spitting the substrate solution onto the target– an innovation formerly established by the team. By vitrification of the samples (i.e. cooling them to a glass-like state) the Spitrobotuncouples sample preparation from information collection. Utilizing industry standards ensures the practical dispatch of the samples and their compatibility with high-throughput routines typically readily available at synchrotrons and other centers. Hence the experiment can be carried out in basic laboratories without immediate access to lights– a major advantage to most researchers in structural biology.
Emmy Noether research study group leader Pedram Mehrabi (UHH) and very first author of the Nature Communications paper says: “The Spitrobot will greatly accelerate research in enzymatic systems. It enables non-specialist groups to bring out experiments that could previously only be done by experts. This need to lead to the a lot more widespread application of an actually hard experiment.”
The Spitrobot has its technological origins at the MPSD where Mehrabi and last author Eike C. Schulz worked together with the Institutes Scientific Support Unit led by Friedjof Tellkamp. Schulz and Mehrabi continued their work at the UKE and UHH respectively to benchmark the gadget and show its applicability to biotechnological and disease-related issues. They were participated in their efforts by colleagues from the EMBL Hamburg who demonstrated that changes in the protein can be observed throughout catalytic reactions.
” We created the Spitrobot with the common structural biology lab in mind. That is why we went for a flexible, robust and easy option that allows users to deal with large and small crystals alike and combines the most basic way of reaction initiation with the ability to cover the time-scales of most of enzymes. This will enable numerous more research groups to deal with a larger spectrum of concerns, varying from biotechnology to health and illness research,” says Schulz, who now leads his own junior research study group in infection research study at the UKE, funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research.
Recommendation: “Millisecond cryo-trapping by the spitrobot crystal plunger simplifies time-resolved crystallography” by Pedram Mehrabi, Sihyun Sung, David von Stetten, Andreas Prester, Caitlin E. Hatton, Stephan Kleine-Döpke, Alexander Berkes, Gargi Gore, Jan-Philipp Leimkohl, Hendrik Schikora, Martin Kollewe, Holger Rohde, Matthias Wilmanns, Friedjof Tellkamp and Eike C. Schulz, 25 April 2023, Nature Communications.DOI: 10.1038/ s41467-023-37834-w.
Researchers from four research study institutes in Hamburg have developed the Spitrobot, a groundbreaking experimental setup that streamlines observing modifications in proteins as they operate. The gadget makes time-resolved crystallography more available to non-specialist research study groups by permitting samples to be prepared in standard laboratories and processed by automated high-throughput methods. This innovation will speed up fundamental research study in health and disease, as it allows more research study groups to perform experiments that were formerly special to specialists. Emmy Noether research group leader Pedram Mehrabi (UHH) and very first author of the Nature Communications paper states: “The Spitrobot will considerably accelerate research study in enzymatic systems. This will permit numerous more research groups to address a larger spectrum of questions, varying from biotechnology to health and illness research study,” says Schulz, who now leads his own junior research group in infection research at the UKE, funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research.
