2019

Adenoviruses cause diseases that can sometimes be fatal. By modifying them, they can also become formidable cancer cell killers. Adenoviruses are to date the most commonly used vectors in human clinical trials. Researchers have just elucidated by cryo electron microscopy the mechanism by which adenoviruses attach themselves to the cell surface. These results, published in the journal Nature Communication on March 12, 2019, could pave the way for the development of new generation anti-tumor (…)

Although living organisms are mainly composed of organic matter, many very essential natural processes depend directly on inorganic factors. The function of nearly 40% of all proteins function depends on one or more metal ions. Among the biological metal-containing cofactors, the iron-sulfur [Fe-S] clusters, ubiquitous in animals, plants and bacteria, play fundamental roles in electron transfer (respiration, photosynthesis) and the regulation of gene expression through DNA binding. At the (…)

Through their ability to edit sulfation pattern of complex Heparan Sulfate (HS) polysaccharides, Sulf extracellular endosulfatases have emerged as critical regulators of many biological processes, including tumor progression. However, study of Sulfs remains extremely intricate and progress in characterizing their functional and structural features has been hampered by limited access to recombinant enzyme. In this study, IBS resaearchers and their collaborators unlock this critical (…)

A new cryo-electron microscope was delivered to the IBS on December 07, 2018, replacing the Polara electron microscope. This electron microscope, a ThermoFisher Glacios, has been funded by CEA, CNRS, ESRF and FRISBI. The Glacios is an ultra-stable, state-of-the-art 200 kV, FEG electron microscope equipped with an automatic sample loading and changing system, a grid holder system compatible with Krios microscopes, a Falcon II direct electron detector coupled with an automatic data collection (…)