PRESENT ADVANCES IN STRUCTURE DETERMINATION BY X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHY AND CRYO-EM AT THE ARGENTINIAN PLATFORM PLABEM

KLINKE, S; GOLDBAUM, F.A; CERUTTI, M.L; OTERO, L.H

Salta

Congreso; Joint LV Annual SAIB Meeting and XIV PABMB Congress; 2019

Sociedad Argentina de Bioquimica y Biología Molecular

The Argentinian Platform for Structural Biology andMetabolomics (PLABEM, www.plabem.gob.ar) is a facility focused on innovation,which provides the newest technology generation with applications in scientificresearch, biotechnology, translational medicine and food control. Structuredetermination by protein crystallography and cryogenic electron microscopy (Cryo-EM)is one of our main research activities at the Crystallography Node located atthe Leloir Institute in Buenos Aires. The Node is equipped with a Honeybee 963crystallization robot and a controlled temperature room for crystal growth.Additionally, we operate a Bruker D8 QUEST copper microfocus diffractometerwith a CMOS PHOTON 100 detector and a low-temperature attachment device thatallows routine macromolecular X-ray diffraction data collection at 100 K. Wealso facilitate the access to the macromolecular crystallography beamlinesPROXIMA 1 and 2A from the SOLEIL Synchrotron (France) through an ArgentinianBlock Allocation Group and organize the access via periodic proposals tohigh performance TEMs at the LNNano (Brazil) and CNB-Instruct (Spain) forCryo-EM. In addition, in our recently founded Center for Protein Re-design and Engineering(CRIP) located at the National University of San Martín, we offer scientific assessmentand laboratory capacities for upstream and downstream bioprocess developmentand optimization of bacterial and animal cell culture expressed products, alongwith a full package of analytical techniques for industrial partners andgovernmental technological projects. PLABEM offers the possibility of achieving theresolution of three-dimensional structures of macromolecules by X-raydiffraction and Cryo-EM for the entire Argentine academic system. Theactivities carried out are not only what is offered by a classic facility (thisis, to enable the access to expensive equipment and know-how to endusers), but also the Platform is consultative, collaborative, and provides animportant intellectual capital promoting the training of human resources bymeans of stays and courses.