URMC / Biochemistry & Biophysics / Research / Facilities / Structural Biology & Biophysics Facility
Structural Biology & Biophysics Facility
Overview
The Structural Biology and Biophysics Facility is a University of Rochester research resource located within the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics. Our goal is to provide non-specialist and specialist users with access to biophysical instrumentation designed to:
Learn more about our Services and User Fees.
The facility features the following equipment:
- Bruker AXS X8 Prospector Ultra microfocus IµS sealed-tube X-ray generator
- Mosquito crystallization robot (TTP LabTech) or high-throughput, nanoliter-scale crystallization experiments
- Microscopes for crystal viewing
- Computers and software for structure determination and graphics
- Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) DynaPro Plate Reader II (Wyatt Technologies)
- BIAcore T200 for automated surface plasmon resonance (SPR)
- Vitrobot Mark IV (Thermo Fisher) for preparation of vitrified sample grids for Cryo-EM
- Fluoromax-4 fluorimeter then renumber 8-11 to 9-12
- ÄKTA Pure modular chromatography system
- JASCO J-1100 Circular Dichroism (CD) spectrometer
- Avestin EmulsiFlex-C3 Homogenizer
- GloQube (Quorum Technologies) discharge system
Staff
Dr. Jermaine Jenkins is the Facility Manager who is available to train individuals in the use of core instruments. He can also assist with experimental design and data interpretation. Dr. Jenkins reports to the Executive Directors of the facility, Profs. Joseph Wedekind and Clara Kielkopf. Operation of the Facility is overseen by a steering committee comprised of local scientists.
Recent Facility Publications
- Maji D, Glasser E, Henderson S, Galardi J, Pulvino MJ, Jenkins JL, Kielkopf CL (2020) Representative cancer-associated U2AF2 mutations alter RNA interactions and splicing. J Biol Chem 295, 17148-17157 PubMed PMID: 33453965
- Chavali SS, Mali SM, Jenkins JL, Fasan R, Wedekind JE (2020) Co-crystal structures of HIV TAR RNA bound to lab-evolved proteins show key roles for arginine relevant to the design of cyclic peptide TAR inhibitors. J Biol Chem 295, 16470-16486 PubMed PMID: 33051202
- Sparks RP, Arango AS, Jenkins JL, Guida WC, Tajkhorshid E, Sparks CE, Sparks JD, Fratti RA (2020) An Allosteric Binding Site on Sortilin Regulates the Trafficking of VLDL, PCSK9, and LDLR in Hepatocytes. Biochemistry 59, 4321-4335 PubMed PMID: 33153264; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7674269
- Schroeder GM, Dutta D, Cavender CE, Jenkins JL, Pritchett EM, Baker CD, Ashton JM, Mathews DH, Wedekind JE, (2020) Analysis of a preQ1-I riboswitch in effector-free and bound states reveals a metabolite-programmed nucleobase-stacking spine that controls gene regulation. Nucl Acids Res 48, 8146-8164 PubMed PMID: 32597951; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7641330
- Sparks RP, Arango AS, Starr ML, Aboff ZL, Hurst LR, Rivera-Kohr DA, Zhang C, Harnden KA, Jenkins JL, Guida WC, Tajkhorshid E, Fratti RA. A small-molecule competitive inhibitor of phosphatidic acid binding by the AAA+ protein NSF/Sec18 blocks the SNARE-priming stage of vacuole fusion. (2019) J Biol Chem. 5;294(46):17168-17185.PubMed PMID: 31515268; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6873166.
- Bonn-Breach R, Gu Y, Jenkins JL, Fasan R, Wedekind JE (2019) Structure of Sonic Hedgehog protein in complex with zinc(II) and magnesium(II) reveals ion-coordination plasticity relevant to peptide drug design. Acta Cryst D 75, 969-979. PubMed PMID: 31692471; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6834079
See all publications »
Publications resulting from the use of instrumentation should reference support from NIH NCRR grants 1S10 RR026501 and 1S10 RR027241, as well as NIH NIAID P30 AI078498 and the University of Rochester SMD.