The Belgian Biophysical Society organizes a spring school on Bioimaging : from single molecules
to whole animals and plants. This school is focusing on molecular, cellular and tissue imaging
technologies including fluorescence, FTIR, AFM and other spectroscopic imaging technologies.
For the full programme and registration, information can be found on their
website
The Laboratory for Protein Biochemistry and Biomolecular Engineering (L-ProBE) is an integral part of Ghent University’s flourishing Biosciences community and participates in the Department of Biochemistry, Physiology and Microbiology in the Faculty of Sciences. It brings together a diverse group of scientists that are distributed among three closely interacting research units
The Unit for Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics (including research activities in Microbial Physiology)
(Head: Prof. Dr. Bart Devreese)
The Unit for Structural Biology and Biophysics
(Head: Prof. dr. Savvas Savvides)
The Unit for Molecular Glycobiology
(Head: Prof. Dr. Nico Callewaert)
Thematically, L-ProBE is situated at the crossroads of Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Microbiology and Biophysics. The group has grown steadily over the years and has been a pioneer in Belgium in the study of structure-function relationships of proteins. Recent research initiatives aim towards the study and engineering of soluble and membrane-asscociated (glyco)proteins of biomedical and biotechnological importance, and proteomic analyses of microbial physiological processes. All projects are collaborative and are supported by extramural funding. L-ProBE frequently publishes research results in prominent, peer-reviewed journals and has offered over the years a rich training ground for scores of undergraduate and doctoral students, post-doctoral fellows, and visiting professors.
Belangrijke ontwikkeling in de behandeling van bloedkanker
Onderzoekers van de UGent ontrafelden de ruimtelijke structuur van de humane Flt3 receptor uit beenmergcellen.
Als deze receptor geactiveerd wordt door een specifieke sleutelstof (cytokine ligand), gaan beenmergcellen zich
verder vermenigvuldigen en ontwikkelen tot celtypes die belangrijk zijn voor de opbouw van immuniteit. De Flt3
receptor werd ruim 20 jaar geleden ontdekt maar de structuur ervan en zijn interactie met zijn cytokine ligand
waren nog niet bekend. De ontdekking is van groot belang voor de behandeling van bloedkanker en werd vandaag
gepubliceerd in het toonaangevende wetenschappelijke tijdschrift “Blood”.
The Manuscript
Structural insights into the extracellular assembly of the hematopoietic Flt3 signaling complex.
Verstraete K, Vandriessche G, Januar M, Elegheert J, Shkumatov AV, Desfosses A, Van Craenenbroeck K, Svergun DI, Gutsche I, Vergauwen B, Savvides SN.
Blood. 2011 Mar 9.
Other publications
In a collaborative effort with Prof. Dolashka from the Bulgarian Academy of Science,
we obtained the full sequence of the three structural subunits of hemocyanin from the garden
snail Helix lucorum. Hemocyanins are amongst the largest proteins found in nature. They function
as oxygen transporters in mollusks and related organisms, similar as hemoglobin in human blood.
Hemocyanins are attracting interest because of their immuno-modulating properties, and they are used as vaccine carriers.
Glutathione import in Haemophilus influenzae Rd is primed by the periplasmic heme-binding protein HbpA
Bjorn Vergauwen, Jonathan Elegheert, Ann Dansercoer, Bart Devreese, and Savvas N. Savvides
PNAS published ahead of print July 13, 2010.
Functional and evolutionary insights from the genome of three parasitoid Nasonia species
Nasonia Genome Working Group, Werren JH et al.
Science 2010;324:343-348.
The 285 kDa Bap/RTX hybrid cell surface protein (SO4317) of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 is a key mediator of biofilm formation
Theunissen S, De Smet L, Dansercoer A, Motte B, Coenye T, Van Beeumen JJ, Devreese B, Savvides SN, Vergauwen B.
Res. Microbiol. 2009, December 23
Efficient Production of Bioactive Recombinant Human Flt3 Ligand in E. coli.
Verstraete K, Koch S, Ertugrul S, Vandenberghe I, Aerts M, Van Driessche G, Thiede C, Savvides SN.
Protein J. 2009;28:57-65.
A direct spectrophotometric gamma-glutamyltransferase inhibitor screening assay targeting the hydrolysis-only mode.
Vergauwen B, Dudycz LW, Dansercoer A, Devreese B.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2009;380:591-6.
Proteome analysis of non-model plants: a challenging but powerful approach.
Carpentier SC, Panis B, Vertommen A, Swennen R, Sergeant K, Renaut J, Laukens K, Witters E, Samyn B, Devreese B.
Mass Spectrom Rev. 2008;27:354-77.