BIOCHEMISTRY InVi o Department of Biochemistry - College of Agriculturalv and Life Sciences - UW-Madison 2017 Education│Research│Innovation For our alumni, supporters, and friends Cryo-EM Facility Coming to Biochemistry facebook.com/UWBiochem Find us online at twitter.com/UWBiochem biochem.wisc.edu linkedin.com/company/uwbiochem All are invited to join us for our upcoming Steenbock Symposium — registration is now open With questions or feedback for the department please contact: Brian Fox, Department Chair Change of Address: Department of Biochemistry Crystal M. Peterson University of Wisconsin–Madison Phone: (608) 262-3040 433 Babcock Drive Email: [email protected] Madison, WI 53706-1544 USA Alumni News: Phone: (608) 262-3040 [email protected] FAX: (608) 265-4693 Web: biochem.wisc.edu Newsletter Coordinators: Photography and Design Cover image: Cryo-EM images of fruit fly cell mitochondria, Robin Davies where the cell produces its energy. These images were Laura Vanderploeg produced at the HHMI Janelia Farm Research Campus, using technology that will soon be available at UW–Madison. Writer Images courtesy of Desirée Benefield and design by Robin Davies. Kaine Korzekwa Citation: eLife 2017;6:e25940 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.25940 2 From the Chair of images that can be obtained from and the kindness of donors to the complex biological assemblies. These department. images span many dimensions, from In this and successive issues, we cell-cell interactions to the 3-D will be honoring the achievements structures of single proteins. The of members of our community Professor Brian Fox Department of Biochemistry has by publishing degrees obtained, I am pleased to provide this brief taken the lead on campus in bringing awards won, other life events, and introduction to the new format of our this enabling new technology to the generous support provided by annual Department of Biochemistry UW–Madison, and our goal is to individuals and corporate partners. newsletter. Our goal is to keep current keep you informed and up-to-date Our department thrives on the members, alumni and friends up- on the deployment and impacts of diversity, skills and commitment of to-date on the most exciting things this exciting research opportunity at its members, alumni and friends. We happening here at UW–Madison in UW–Madison. encourage all of you to interact with our research, teaching and service to This volume of the newsletter us and look forward to receiving your the world. In these communications, also includes three alumni profiles: comments, advice and referrals as we we will be highlighting the an undergraduate, Michael Rummel, continue along this path and affirm achievements of our students, staff, B.S., ’05; a graduate student, Dr. our commitment to excellence. If you faculty and alumni, and providing Fred Porter, Ph.D., ’08; and former are able, please consider becoming information and education on where postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Amy a donor to the Department of our scientific endeavors are going, Prunuske, who was here from ’07- Biochemistry by contacting us or how our research is being carried out, ‘11. Their career paths, given in these by reaching out to the University of and the results being achieved. It is profiles, are both inspirational and Wisconsin Foundation. our sincere hope you will find these representative of the opportunities In closing, thank you for all you newsletters engaging, enlightening and outcomes our department strives do. We look forward to hearing from and inspiring. to provide. you and having you visit. Some of you will note the You will also find highlights Let us surprise you with how redesign of the cover page and the of the research from three of our things have changed since you were new name “Biochemistry In Vivo,” faculty. Professor Robert Landick last here. with its meaning “within the living” describes his studies of the structure serving as a metaphor for the amazing and function of the ribosome as Table of Contents work being carried out in the it translates mRNA into protein; From the Chair 3 department on life processes spread Professor Katherine Henzler- Cryo-EM 4 across the areas of health, energy, Wildman reports on a new way to Research News 6 the environment and many other pump antibiotics into bacteria; and Alumni Profiles 10 avenues. Professor Srivatsan (“Vatsan”) Raman Graduate Degrees 14 In this newsletter, we provide describes how designer viruses might Honors and Awards 16 an introduction to cryo-electron be deployed to kill bacteria and Letters from the Labs 19 microscopy. Recent advances coming prevent infection. These innovative In Memoriam 22 from several disciplines have led to projects proceed with extramural Donors 23 rapid improvement in the resolution research grants, institutional support, Innovation 24 3 Cryo-EM Coming to Biochemistry Facility to Serve as Resource for All of Campus tructural biology and collaboration Dubochet (University of Lausanne), the same time, build on others. Sare two strong and enduring Joachim Frank (Columbia University), To jump-start the creation and aspects of research at the University and Richard Henderson (MRC operation of the facility, Landick led an of Wisconsin–Madison. In keeping Laboratory of Molecular Biology) for effort to obtain a UW2020 grant from with this tradition, the Department of their development of the experimental the VCRGE. Desirée Benefield, a Ph.D. Biochemistry has led a concerted cross- and computational methods that scientist and expert in cryo-EM was campus effort to bring cryo-electron underpin the remarkable versatility of hired shortly thereafter. She has already microscopy (cryo-EM) to campus. this technology. been playing an integral role in the Cryo-EM has recently advanced “Cryo-EM has emerged as an facility’s success by providing guidance to a point that it can generate high- indispensable method for structural to the facility’s future users, such as resolution structures of biological analysis in the biosciences,” says training them in sample preparation, molecules by using electrons to biochemistry professor Robert Landick, imaging, and analysis. generate images. Thus, cryo-EM is one of the leaders on the project. “I’ve been working with interested a burgeoning technology that can “It is not hyperbole to say that it is researchers on campus to walk them help UW–Madison researchers make revolutionizing our understanding of through how a cryo-EM project significant new contributions to many large macromolecular machines. For develops, from sample preparation to areas of structural biology, including UW–Madison to remain a powerhouse data acquisition,” she explains. “I’ve also enzymology, virology, cell biology, and in bioscience research, it is crucial been getting resources together for new medicine. These discoveries will lead to that modern cryo-EM capabilities be users to get started on their projects. For a better understanding of many diseases brought to campus.” example, I’ve got workspace set up for and possible treatments. preparing negatively stained EM grids, Last October, the 2017 Nobel Prize Creating a new facility in Biochemistry an important start for most cryo-EM in Chemistry was awarded to Jacques A new research facility, yet to be projects. It’s been humbling to be part named, will be housed in the Hector of something that’s so important for the F. DeLuca Biochemical Sciences department and the university.” Complex, and its users will come Benefield studied biochemistry from across campus and beyond. at the University of Tennessee- Researchers are planning to use state- Chattanooga and completed her of-the-art, powerful microscopes to Ph.D. in microbiology at Vanderbilt study everything from whole cells to University. There, she learned about organelles and single enzymes. The cryo-EM and became enthralled Morgridge Institute for Research, Office with the technique. In of the Vice Chancellor for Research 2014, she came to and Graduate Education (VCRGE), UW–Madison for School of Medicine and Public postdoctoral Health, UW Carbone Cancer Center, and Departments of Biomolecular Chemistry and Neuroscience are key partners with the Department of Biochemistry in the effort to establish this multi-million-dollar facility. The facility is expected to open Cryo-EM image of reovirus T1L in 2019. Currently, the department is particles. They are displaying attachment searching for faculty members who are fibers as indicated by white arrowheads. leaders in cryo-EM research and would These viruses cause respiratory and want to join the department’s efforts. intestinal inflammation. Because of the breadth of applications Image courtesy of Rebecca S. Dillard and of cryo-EM, this will inevitably draw Elizabeth R. Wright, Emory University. the department into new areas, and at 4 training in the lab of virology professor works and how mutations change Paul Ahlquist, who aims to use the that. Knowledge of structure provides How does cryo-EM work? new facility to visualize the structure a solid foundation for the design of For experiments in cryo-EM, samples must be frozen to extremely cold associated with the replication of viruses new protein functions, enhancement of temperatures to stop the molecules responsible for Zika, MERS, SARS, pathways to make valuable bioproducts, from moving and then electron beams Dengue Fever, and Chikungunya. and improvements in many other are shot at the frozen molecules in the “Desirée’s effort is essential to bioprocesses. microscope to capture an image of its the operation of a modern cryo-EM Cryo-EM can produce detailed structure. research facility,” Landick says. “With structures needed to define the location, The biological samples are encased this project underway, we are excited to architecture, and dynamics of a wide in vitreous, or glass-like, ice; ice that have a staff member on board to anchor array of biological molecules, such as is formed so quickly that the water our efforts to establish this facility.” cellular membranes, organelles, cell-cell molecules don’t have time to become contacts, and interactions of a virus with ordered into a lattice.