David B. Sauer
@davidbsauer.bsky.social
Membrane Transporters, Ion Channels, Structural Biology, Bioinformatics... and other bits of fun
Purdue BS, UTSW PhD, NYUSoM PostDoc, Univ. of Oxford PI
davidbsauer.com
Purdue BS, UTSW PhD, NYUSoM PostDoc, Univ. of Oxford PI
davidbsauer.com
Pinned
David B. Sauer
@davidbsauer.bsky.social
· Aug 15
Covalently constrained ‘Di-Gembodies’ enable parallel structure solutions by cryo-EM - Nature Chemical Biology
Disulfide-based dimerization of modified identical and heterologous nanobody scaffolds enables higher-order assembly for high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy structure determination that is widely...
www.nature.com
Di-Gembodies (dimerized nanobodies) for improved and duplexed CryoEM of small and challenging targets!
A collaboration of @cmd.ox.ac.uk, STRUBI, @diamondlightsource.bsky.social, @rosfrankinst.bsky.social
Out now in Nature Chemical Biology @natchembio.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A collaboration of @cmd.ox.ac.uk, STRUBI, @diamondlightsource.bsky.social, @rosfrankinst.bsky.social
Out now in Nature Chemical Biology @natchembio.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by David B. Sauer
Time to sign up!
Registration for the joint FEBS/EMBO course on ion channels and transporters in Erice, Italy (May 13-19th 2026) is now open:
meetings.embo.org/event/26-ion...
Please share and repost.
Registration for the joint FEBS/EMBO course on ion channels and transporters in Erice, Italy (May 13-19th 2026) is now open:
meetings.embo.org/event/26-ion...
Please share and repost.
January 16, 2026 at 10:16 AM
Time to sign up!
Registration for the joint FEBS/EMBO course on ion channels and transporters in Erice, Italy (May 13-19th 2026) is now open:
meetings.embo.org/event/26-ion...
Please share and repost.
Registration for the joint FEBS/EMBO course on ion channels and transporters in Erice, Italy (May 13-19th 2026) is now open:
meetings.embo.org/event/26-ion...
Please share and repost.
Reposted by David B. Sauer
I've reviewed about 150 CVs in the past few days. A few observations: (1) I am sooo impressed by the talent pool out there; (2) do not try to make your CV fit onto one page if it makes things difficult to read - just go multipage, keeping the key messages upfront;
January 14, 2026 at 8:08 PM
I've reviewed about 150 CVs in the past few days. A few observations: (1) I am sooo impressed by the talent pool out there; (2) do not try to make your CV fit onto one page if it makes things difficult to read - just go multipage, keeping the key messages upfront;
Gave my annual "State of the Group" talk at lab meeting
- 6 Papers published
- 3 Manuscripts in review
- 4 Grants funded
- New research directions and international collaborations
Immensely proud of all our team accomplished in 2025, and excited to share our new results in 2026!
- 6 Papers published
- 3 Manuscripts in review
- 4 Grants funded
- New research directions and international collaborations
Immensely proud of all our team accomplished in 2025, and excited to share our new results in 2026!
January 12, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Gave my annual "State of the Group" talk at lab meeting
- 6 Papers published
- 3 Manuscripts in review
- 4 Grants funded
- New research directions and international collaborations
Immensely proud of all our team accomplished in 2025, and excited to share our new results in 2026!
- 6 Papers published
- 3 Manuscripts in review
- 4 Grants funded
- New research directions and international collaborations
Immensely proud of all our team accomplished in 2025, and excited to share our new results in 2026!
Reposted by David B. Sauer
PNAS honors the life of David John “Davo” Mangelsdorf—whose groundbreaking discoveries reshaped nuclear receptor and metabolic biology. Remembered not only for his science, but for his generosity and mentorship. Read more: https://ow.ly/1c8050XUcS8
January 10, 2026 at 12:00 AM
PNAS honors the life of David John “Davo” Mangelsdorf—whose groundbreaking discoveries reshaped nuclear receptor and metabolic biology. Remembered not only for his science, but for his generosity and mentorship. Read more: https://ow.ly/1c8050XUcS8
Reposted by David B. Sauer
Our paper on the human carnitine transporter OCTN2 (SLC22A5) is out in @natcomms.nature.com! We solved structures of OCTN2 in multiple states and explored how carnitine transport is Na⁺-dependent, providing a framework for understanding SPCD disease causing variants and drug interactions.
Structural basis of sodium ion-dependent carnitine transport by OCTN2
Nature Communications - Carnitine uptake by OCTN2 supports fatty acid metabolism. Here, authors report cryo-EM structures of human OCTN2, revealing the mechanism of sodium ion-dependent carnitine...
rdcu.be
January 8, 2026 at 12:05 AM
Our paper on the human carnitine transporter OCTN2 (SLC22A5) is out in @natcomms.nature.com! We solved structures of OCTN2 in multiple states and explored how carnitine transport is Na⁺-dependent, providing a framework for understanding SPCD disease causing variants and drug interactions.
Reposted by David B. Sauer
New work out today in PNAS!
Secondary active transporters are everywhere, but direct observation of their structural dynamics is rarely achieved.
Here, we capture the real-time dynamics of a sodium-coupled dicarboxylate transporter using smFRET.
🧵⬇️
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Secondary active transporters are everywhere, but direct observation of their structural dynamics is rarely achieved.
Here, we capture the real-time dynamics of a sodium-coupled dicarboxylate transporter using smFRET.
🧵⬇️
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
January 6, 2026 at 11:12 PM
New work out today in PNAS!
Secondary active transporters are everywhere, but direct observation of their structural dynamics is rarely achieved.
Here, we capture the real-time dynamics of a sodium-coupled dicarboxylate transporter using smFRET.
🧵⬇️
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Secondary active transporters are everywhere, but direct observation of their structural dynamics is rarely achieved.
Here, we capture the real-time dynamics of a sodium-coupled dicarboxylate transporter using smFRET.
🧵⬇️
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
A deep dive into the conformational dynamics and substrate coupling of VcINDY!
A huge collab of @rubenlgonzalez.bsky.social, Colin D. Kinz-Thompson, @danengw.bsky.social, @chrismulligan.bsky.social, Joe Mindell, David Stokes and many others
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
A huge collab of @rubenlgonzalez.bsky.social, Colin D. Kinz-Thompson, @danengw.bsky.social, @chrismulligan.bsky.social, Joe Mindell, David Stokes and many others
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
doi.org
January 6, 2026 at 10:46 PM
A deep dive into the conformational dynamics and substrate coupling of VcINDY!
A huge collab of @rubenlgonzalez.bsky.social, Colin D. Kinz-Thompson, @danengw.bsky.social, @chrismulligan.bsky.social, Joe Mindell, David Stokes and many others
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
A huge collab of @rubenlgonzalez.bsky.social, Colin D. Kinz-Thompson, @danengw.bsky.social, @chrismulligan.bsky.social, Joe Mindell, David Stokes and many others
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Reposted by David B. Sauer
The Gonzalez Lab at Columbia University is seeking a scientific leader!
Join us in a Research Scientist position, driving single-molecule, structural, and biochemical studies of translation, translational control, and other RNA-based processes.
Apply: apply.interfolio.com/176949
Join us in a Research Scientist position, driving single-molecule, structural, and biochemical studies of translation, translational control, and other RNA-based processes.
Apply: apply.interfolio.com/176949
December 10, 2025 at 12:16 PM
The Gonzalez Lab at Columbia University is seeking a scientific leader!
Join us in a Research Scientist position, driving single-molecule, structural, and biochemical studies of translation, translational control, and other RNA-based processes.
Apply: apply.interfolio.com/176949
Join us in a Research Scientist position, driving single-molecule, structural, and biochemical studies of translation, translational control, and other RNA-based processes.
Apply: apply.interfolio.com/176949
Christmas 2025 party with (some) of our amazing membrane protein team @cmd.ox.ac.uk
December 16, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Christmas 2025 party with (some) of our amazing membrane protein team @cmd.ox.ac.uk
Reposted by David B. Sauer
#ScientistSpotlight
This week we’re introducing Anna Li, a postdoctoral researcher in the Yin Dong Lab at the #MRCWIMM.
@ndcnoxford.bsky.social @medsci.ox.ac.uk
#WIMMSpotlight #WIMMCommunity #StructuralBiology #CryoEM #IonChannels #Neuroscience
Photo credit: Susan Maxwell
This week we’re introducing Anna Li, a postdoctoral researcher in the Yin Dong Lab at the #MRCWIMM.
@ndcnoxford.bsky.social @medsci.ox.ac.uk
#WIMMSpotlight #WIMMCommunity #StructuralBiology #CryoEM #IonChannels #Neuroscience
Photo credit: Susan Maxwell
December 16, 2025 at 9:54 AM
#ScientistSpotlight
This week we’re introducing Anna Li, a postdoctoral researcher in the Yin Dong Lab at the #MRCWIMM.
@ndcnoxford.bsky.social @medsci.ox.ac.uk
#WIMMSpotlight #WIMMCommunity #StructuralBiology #CryoEM #IonChannels #Neuroscience
Photo credit: Susan Maxwell
This week we’re introducing Anna Li, a postdoctoral researcher in the Yin Dong Lab at the #MRCWIMM.
@ndcnoxford.bsky.social @medsci.ox.ac.uk
#WIMMSpotlight #WIMMCommunity #StructuralBiology #CryoEM #IonChannels #Neuroscience
Photo credit: Susan Maxwell
A fascinating story on the history and complexity of T-cell migration by Susan Schwab! #NYUGrossman #NYULangone
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPHN...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPHN...
www.youtube.com
December 16, 2025 at 12:38 PM
A fascinating story on the history and complexity of T-cell migration by Susan Schwab! #NYUGrossman #NYULangone
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPHN...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPHN...
The LysP structure is published! Congrats to Emmanuel Nji and colleagues!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Structural basis of specific lysine transport by Pseudomonas aeruginosa permease LysP - Nature Communications
Pseudomonas aeruginosa survives extreme acidity by importing lysine through the LysP transporter to regulate acid-resistance genes. Here, authors reveal the cryo-EM structure of LysP and show how spec...
www.nature.com
December 10, 2025 at 1:44 PM
The LysP structure is published! Congrats to Emmanuel Nji and colleagues!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Paper accepted!!!
December 4, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Paper accepted!!!
Reposted by David B. Sauer
It’s great to see people thinking about tracking errors in Fourier terms! EM_placement tries to infer effects of orientation bias from half maps, but it would be far better to do this directly in the reconstruction process. No surprise it’s people like ZO and Dominika doing this work!
Preserving Information and Integrity in Cryo-EM: A Fourier-Space Deposition Approach www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.26.690836v1 #cryoem
November 29, 2025 at 7:11 PM
It’s great to see people thinking about tracking errors in Fourier terms! EM_placement tries to infer effects of orientation bias from half maps, but it would be far better to do this directly in the reconstruction process. No surprise it’s people like ZO and Dominika doing this work!
Anyone know if I can submit a bug report to Toyota? Seems like an easy software fix.
December 2, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Anyone know if I can submit a bug report to Toyota? Seems like an easy software fix.
Today I learned:
You can brick a Toyota EV with only the window defroster… if engaged before the traction battery 🤦♂️
You can brick a Toyota EV with only the window defroster… if engaged before the traction battery 🤦♂️
December 2, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Today I learned:
You can brick a Toyota EV with only the window defroster… if engaged before the traction battery 🤦♂️
You can brick a Toyota EV with only the window defroster… if engaged before the traction battery 🤦♂️
Reposted by David B. Sauer
🌟 WeINSPIREBio is hosting its first event!
On Dec 4, we’re running a webinar:
Structures of Success: Career Journeys of Women in Structural Biology
If you work in SB, drug discovery, or just like hearing career stories from brilliant people, join us! And please share 🙏🏼
lnkd.in/ewjD5WPt
#cryoEM
On Dec 4, we’re running a webinar:
Structures of Success: Career Journeys of Women in Structural Biology
If you work in SB, drug discovery, or just like hearing career stories from brilliant people, join us! And please share 🙏🏼
lnkd.in/ewjD5WPt
#cryoEM
November 24, 2025 at 3:17 PM
🌟 WeINSPIREBio is hosting its first event!
On Dec 4, we’re running a webinar:
Structures of Success: Career Journeys of Women in Structural Biology
If you work in SB, drug discovery, or just like hearing career stories from brilliant people, join us! And please share 🙏🏼
lnkd.in/ewjD5WPt
#cryoEM
On Dec 4, we’re running a webinar:
Structures of Success: Career Journeys of Women in Structural Biology
If you work in SB, drug discovery, or just like hearing career stories from brilliant people, join us! And please share 🙏🏼
lnkd.in/ewjD5WPt
#cryoEM
Reposted by David B. Sauer
Yay! Our findings on the antidepressant drug vilazodone binding to the serotonin transporter (SERT) are out! We used cryo-electron microscopy and other advanced biophysics to provide data suggesting two high affinity binding poses.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Structural basis of vilazodone dual binding mode to the serotonin transporter - Nature Communications
The serotonin transporter (SERT) is a key antidepressant target. Here, authors present a cryo-EM structure where the antidepressant vilazodone spans the main SERT binding site toward a secondary ...
www.nature.com
November 23, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Yay! Our findings on the antidepressant drug vilazodone binding to the serotonin transporter (SERT) are out! We used cryo-electron microscopy and other advanced biophysics to provide data suggesting two high affinity binding poses.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by David B. Sauer
Our latest work : Statins are used to lower plasma cholesterol but often come with muscle-related side effects. Using cryo-EM, we show how multiple statin molecules cooperate to bind RyR1, a calcium release channel mainly found in skeletal muscle.
nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com/articles/s41...
November 21, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Our latest work : Statins are used to lower plasma cholesterol but often come with muscle-related side effects. Using cryo-EM, we show how multiple statin molecules cooperate to bind RyR1, a calcium release channel mainly found in skeletal muscle.
nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com/articles/s41...
The Swiss: Fluent in German, French, and English. Maybe Italian too.
This USAer: I know ‘Murican, un poco de Spanglish, and… Python 🤷♂️
This USAer: I know ‘Murican, un poco de Spanglish, and… Python 🤷♂️
November 11, 2025 at 4:58 AM
The Swiss: Fluent in German, French, and English. Maybe Italian too.
This USAer: I know ‘Murican, un poco de Spanglish, and… Python 🤷♂️
This USAer: I know ‘Murican, un poco de Spanglish, and… Python 🤷♂️
Reposted by David B. Sauer
PSA for people with NIH grant periods starting January 1st (including most NIGMS MIRAs): your RPPR is due Saturday, but they haven’t sent out the usual automated reminders, presumably due to the shutdown
November 11, 2025 at 1:20 AM
PSA for people with NIH grant periods starting January 1st (including most NIGMS MIRAs): your RPPR is due Saturday, but they haven’t sent out the usual automated reminders, presumably due to the shutdown
Presenting our latest structural biology work and techniques at #PSDI2025
In this slide, the Gembody technology by @mingda-ye.bsky.social and colleagues!
In this slide, the Gembody technology by @mingda-ye.bsky.social and colleagues!
November 9, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Presenting our latest structural biology work and techniques at #PSDI2025
In this slide, the Gembody technology by @mingda-ye.bsky.social and colleagues!
In this slide, the Gembody technology by @mingda-ye.bsky.social and colleagues!
Reposted by David B. Sauer
New in @science.org 🧬
What if an enzyme you thought you knew turned out to control metabolism in a completely new way?
We found that NUDT5 acts as a molecular handbrake on purine synthesis, reshaping how cells make DNA building blocks and respond to cancer drugs.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
What if an enzyme you thought you knew turned out to control metabolism in a completely new way?
We found that NUDT5 acts as a molecular handbrake on purine synthesis, reshaping how cells make DNA building blocks and respond to cancer drugs.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A non-enzymatic role of Nudix hydrolase 5 in repressing purine de novo synthesis
Folate metabolism is intricately linked to purine de novo synthesis through the incorporation of folate-derived one-carbon units into the purine scaffold. By investigating chemical and genetic depende...
www.science.org
November 6, 2025 at 7:30 PM
New in @science.org 🧬
What if an enzyme you thought you knew turned out to control metabolism in a completely new way?
We found that NUDT5 acts as a molecular handbrake on purine synthesis, reshaping how cells make DNA building blocks and respond to cancer drugs.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
What if an enzyme you thought you knew turned out to control metabolism in a completely new way?
We found that NUDT5 acts as a molecular handbrake on purine synthesis, reshaping how cells make DNA building blocks and respond to cancer drugs.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by David B. Sauer
New online: New York City’s structural biology mosaic
New York City’s structural biology mosaic
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, Published online: 28 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41594-025-01698-zThe structural biology community in New York City combines expertise and access to cutting-edge instrumentation that fosters cooperation. Working collaboratively is indispensable because developing interdisciplinary tools can enable discoveries in cell, structural and molecular biology.
go.nature.com
October 28, 2025 at 11:45 AM
New online: New York City’s structural biology mosaic
Reposted by David B. Sauer
Excited to share our latest @nature.com: How does naloxone (Narcan) stop an opioid overdose? We determined the first GDP-bound μ-opioid receptor–G protein structures and found naloxone traps a novel "latent” state, preventing GDP release and G protein activation.💊🧪 🧵👇 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 5, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Excited to share our latest @nature.com: How does naloxone (Narcan) stop an opioid overdose? We determined the first GDP-bound μ-opioid receptor–G protein structures and found naloxone traps a novel "latent” state, preventing GDP release and G protein activation.💊🧪 🧵👇 www.nature.com/articles/s41...