Role and Contribution
The Stockholm group will work on the implementation of HTP methods for cloning, expression screening, solubilisation/stabilization in detergent and for purification of membrane proteins. The group will also develop technologies for directed evolution of expressibility and stability of membrane proteins. The Stockholm group is an X-ray crystallography based structural biochemistry group which is now using Structural Genomics approaches to attack important biological problems. During the last 3-4 years, a strong emphasis of the group has been on developing HTP methodology for difficult protein production problems such as mammalian single and multi domain proteins. At present a first platform for cloning and expression screening of soluble proteins in E.coli is working on a Qiagen 8000 robot. Recently some very encouraging results have been obtained for directed evolution of expressibility and stability of soluble proteins using a novel approach (Patent in preparation). The methods developed for soluble proteins are now been extended to membrane proteins.
The group is part of the SPINE integrated project and is in this network coordinating the largest work package, the prokaryotic HTP expression technologies. The group also constitutes one of two groups of the Wallenberg Consortium North protein production platform, which will be supporting several smaller Structural Genomics pilot programs in Sweden with expression clones and proteins (http://wcn.ntech.se/platforms/StructProteomics.htm). One of these programs is a Structural Genomics pilot project on E.coli membrane proteins coordinated by Pär Nordlund. Personnel involved: Pär Nordlund, Professor, Group leader, Deborah Berthold, Ph.D., Ass. Professor - Deputy group Leader, Marina Ignatushchenko, Ph.D., Researcher - HTP methods and directed evolution , Monika Ekberg, Ph.D., Researcher, Directed evolution, Marie Hedren, Ms, Laboratory Engineer - HTP method and automation, Tobias Cornevik, Ms, Ph.D. student - Directed evolution, Postdoctoral researcher- HTP methods and directed evolution .
SU-DBB Stockholm, SE
