Title: NMR in Molecular Systems Biology: from structures to function
Speaker： Prof. Lucia Banci
Professor of Chemistry at the University of Florence，Italy
Director and founder of the Center of Magnetic Resonance (CERM) of the University of Florence，Italy
Time： 10:30am July 22nd 2015
Address： Rm A717, the College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University
Chair： Prof. Luhai Lai,
Abstract：
NMR spectroscopy has unique potentialities in describing functional biological processes at atomic level and in a cellular context. It is indeed suitable not only to characterize the structure and dynamics of biomolecules but, even more importantly, to describe functional events still maintaining atomic resolution. This approach requires the development of suitable methodologies capable of addressing multiple, specific, and sometimes non conventional aspects and amenable to characterize functional processes in living cells, also integrating these data with those obtained in vitro.
Metal transfer processes occur through protein-protein interactions, with metal ion being transferred from one protein to the next, to the final recipient. The transfer is determined by metal affinity gradients among the various proteins, with kinetic contributing to the selectivity of the process. In cell NMR can provide the description of these processes within living cells.
The presence of paramagnetic centers, such as iron-sulfur clusters, dramatically affects the NMR spectra, requiring tailored experiments also integrated with EPR.
The power of NMR in describing cellular pathways at atomic resolution in a cellular environment will be presented for a few pathways responsible for copper trafficking in the cell and for the biogenesis of iron-sulfur proteins. New major advancements in in-cell NMR and in the characterization of highly paramagnetic systems will be also discussed within an integrated approach where, from single structures to protein complexes, the processes are described in their cellular context within a molecular perspective.
