The 3rd Berlin Single Molecule Biophysics Course will run from 8th to 12th September at the HU-Berlin, Institute of Biology.
Learn about single channels, single molecule TIRF, theory and analysis. Apply by 7th July at [email protected]. Fee waivers and bursaries available.

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The place where I work is hiring an expert in AI applied to the de novo design of proteins: urls.fr/DpLCMY
Excellent structural biology environment, amazing city surrounded by mountains.

New preprint in the lab combining what we like best: insects, love, chemistry and the olfactory system! 1/8
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Solène’s 4.5 years of postdoctoral work in our lab (she started just before the corona pandemic) has now been published. A heroic effort that revealed -at the single molecule level- that ATP drives the dissociation of an ECF transporter complex under turnover conditions. See rdcu.be/elTKc

🧪 Question for ion channels people: is it possible to use the membrane potential-sensitive FLIPR dyes in cytometry? Any protocol or reference to get started?

I used to love science fiction, and some books describing AI-governed worlds left a lasting impression on me (Ian M Banks, John Varley, ...). I enjoyed this short story about AI takeover, despite - or perhaps because of - its dead-serious academic tone.
ai-2027.com

Our long term aim is to help develop environmentally benign insecticidal proteins. This mechanistic work is a first big milestone!

A fungal-derived compound, ChroB, has an unanticipated mode-of-action (only two were known for GABAA targeting insecticides, since the 1950s) through a site that resembles the neurosteroid mammalian site. And nearby, a new PIP2 site.

Abamectin binds to the “classical” insecticide modulation site, where the bulk of resistant mutants are found. This -mectin bound structure is closed at the hydrophobic gate, unlike others.

The GABA-bound receptor looks so much like human receptors at the site level. Many site mutations surprisingly cause spontaneous activation. The pore helices are weirdly arranged (look at Fig. 5)

New preprint! @tatilab.bsky.social imaged the honeybee GABAA RDL receptor. ~10% of insecticides target insect GABAA receptors. She found a new allosteric modulation pocket, a PIP2 site, a closed avermectin-bound conformation, and maybe an unusual desensitized state.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

New preprint describing a primed nicotinic receptor state with only one agonist bound, seen at low [agonist]. My fav part: ~7% of particles are in that state on cryoEM grids... that's also the proportion predicted from the fitting of single-channel data! Work led by @mackthompson88.bsky.social

What examples would you include in a short lecture on transporters? My current ones are P4-ATPase and EAATs. Suggestions involving different techniques on top of multistate cryoEM particularly appreciated!