Download Crystallizing a clearer understanding of the protein

Jörg Stetefeld
IDEAS TO INNOVATION
CURT CHEREWAYKO
Crystallizing
a clearer
understanding
of the protein
Jörg Stetefeld’s discoveries on the structure and function of proteins are a starting
point for developing new drugs and other biotechnologies
They’ve been described as the workhorses of life at
the cellular level. Given the array of intelligent functions that proteins conduct in organisms, however, that
moniker may not do them justice.
Numbering in the millions, proteins—which
are chains of amino acids—grow and repair
cells, trigger chemical processes or transport
molecules; they can be structural material, antibodies or receptors, among other things.
Jörg Stetefeld, professor of biochemistry at the
University of Manitoba and Canada Research
Chair in Structural Biology, uses advanced
techniques like X-ray crystallography and
nuclear magnetic resonancy to study the atomic
structure of proteins.
It’s complex stuff, yet Stetefeld’s research
can be distilled down to an orderly three-step
Jörg Stetefeld
process: First, discover the structure of a protein.
That will lead you to its function, which will
then guide the development of potential applications.
Stetefeld’s discoveries could have implications in a variety of fields,
from combating disease to producing antidotes for snake venom to
oil and gas remediation.
“If you understand what something looks like at the atomic level,
then you have a fairly good shot of developing a drug or application,”
says Stetefeld.
He studies proteins that live outside of cells, in an area responsible
for the structural support of cells and for communicating informa-
tion between them. Among the proteins in this matrix is netrin,
which guides the growth and repair of axons, or nerve fibres. Damaged or dysfunctional axons can’t properly communicate information
throughout the brain and body, resulting in neurological disorders
like multiple sclerosis (MS).
Stetefeld, who is an expert in crystallography, has
given researchers an unprecedented glimpse of netrin
by first crystallizing it to obtain high concentrations,
then exposing it to high intensity X-rays in order to
build a 3D model.
His lab has filed patents—an important early
milestone in the arduous journey from basic research
to application —related to the way that netrin helps to
rebuild a protective sheath surrounding axons.
In MS patients, this sheath is thought to be damaged
by the body’s own immune system.
In another project, Stetefeld has isolated a tiny tubeshaped protein—a nanotube—found in microorganisms
that thrives near the mouth of deep-sea volcanoes.
The nanotube is thought to help the microorganisms process sulfur
that spews from the volcanoes. Stetefeld’s team is studying the
possibility of using the nanotube to filter out sulfur in oil and gas
refinement—a prospect that has cultivated early interest from an
oil producer.
Says Stetefeld: “We can keep filing [intellectual property] … but we
would like to establish a strong collaboration with industry.” n
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