2016 Research at a Glance I 1 Research at a Glance 2016 Contents 2 Introduction 4 Research topics 6 About EMBL 8 Career opportunities EMBL Heidelberg, Germany 10 Directors’ Research 14 Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit 30 Developmental Biology Unit 40 Genome Biology Unit 52 Structural and Computational Biology Unit 68 Core Facilities EMBL-EBI, Hinxton, United Kingdom 78 European Bioinformatics Institute 94 Bioinformatics Services EMBL Grenoble, France 102 Structural Biology EMBL Hamburg, Germany 112 Structural Biology EMBL Monterotondo, Italy 122 Mouse Biology 130 Index I 1 2 I EMBL is Europe’s flagship laboratory for the life sciences. It was founded in 1974 by its member states as an intergovernmental organisation to promote the molecular life sciences in Europe and beyond. EMBL pursues cutting-edge research across its five sites in Research at a Glance provides a concise overview of the work Heidelberg, Grenoble, Hamburg, Hinxton and Monterotondo. The of EMBL’s research groups and core facilities, which address Laboratory’s contribution to the European life sciences, however, some of the most challenging questions in the molecular life extends beyond its research mission. EMBL is a provider of world- sciences. The overarching goal of the Laboratory’s research is class research infrastructure and services for the life sciences to comprehensively understand the underlying principles and and a centre of excellence for advanced training, which has over mechanisms of living systems by navigating across scales of the course of its history helped launch the careers of several biological organisation – from single molecules, to cells and thousand life scientists. EMBL is broadly engaged in technology tissues, to entire organisms. Research is pursued in a truly development, and drives innovation through a successful interdisciplinary and collaborative fashion – a particularly distinctive technology transfer programme, allowing scientists and society feature of EMBL – whereby researchers with complementary at large to benefit from its inventions and discoveries. Finally, as expertise from different disciplines work together to tackle specific Europe’s only intergovernmental laboratory in the life sciences, biological problems. Importantly, the skills that scientists develop in EMBL plays a leading role in the integration of science initiatives the dynamic, interdisciplinary and international EMBL environment and helps shape European science policy and strategy. are exported to our member states when they leave to assume key positions in other institutes. The synergy and integration of these diverse activities at EMBL is complemented by a variety of successful organisational The critical mass of expertise and resources concentrated at EMBL principles, including international recruitment of the most has produced many important achievements. EMBL is continuously talented scientists, regular staff turnover, and rigorous peer ranked as one of the top research institutions worldwide based review of the Laboratory’s activities. The resulting scientific on the quality and impact of its scientific publications. EMBL’s excellence, along with a culture that promotes intellectual scientific excellence, its attractiveness to talented young scientists, freedom and flexibility, create a vibrant environment that offers and the continued support from our member states are a testimony unmatched opportunities to young creative scientists. to the Laboratory’s success, and drive us to continue pushing the forefront of life science research in the future. Iain Mattaj EMBL Director General I 3 European Molecular Biology Laboratory Research topics Directors’ Cell Biology Developmental Genome Structural and Computational Research and Biophysics Biology Biology Biology pages 10–13 pages 14–29 pages 30–39 pages 40–51 pages 52–67 Peer Bork Peer Jonas Ries Jan Korbel Korbel Jan Maja Köhn Maja John Briggs Martin Beck Martin Péter Lénárt Péter Toby Gibson Toby Pierre Neveu Pierre Maria Leptin Maria Jan Ellenberg Jan Detlev Arendt Lars Hufnagel Lars Francesca Peri Francesca Eileen Furlong Anne Ephrussi Edward Lemke Lemke Edward Lars Steinmetz Lars Takashi Hiiragi Takashi Marcus Heisler Marcus Carsten Schultz Carsten Darren Gilmour Darren Robert Prevedel Janosch Hennig Janosch Orsolya Barabas Orsolya Kyung-Min Noh Kyung-Min Wolfgang Huber Wolfgang Alba Diz-Muñoz Mikhail Savitski Yannick Schwab Yannick Matthias Hentze Matthias Christian Häring François Nédélec François Athanasios Typas Athanasios Stefano de Renzis Stefano Rainer Pepperkok Christoph Merten Martin Jechlinger Martin Alexander Aulehla Anne-Claude Gavin Theodore Alexandrov Alexandrov Theodore CellCell signalling and cellcell differentiationdifferentiation Cellular organisation and dynamics, and cell division ChemistryChemistry andand chemicalchemical biologbiology Computational genomics and metagenomics ComputationalComputational modelling ooff biologicalbiological systems andand processesprocesses Disease mechanisms, pathogens, molecular medicine, stem cells EvolutionEvolution Functional genomics, genetics and gene networks Gene regularegulation,tion, transcription,transcription, chromatin and epigenetics Imaging and image analysis Macromolecular complexes,complexes, interactioninteraction networksnetworks Neurobiology PhysicsPhysics and biophysicsbiophysics Plant biology ProteomicsProteomics RNA metabolism, transport and processing, ncRNAs and miRNAs RoboticsRobotics andand automation,automation, engengineeringineering Software development and bioinformatics TTissueissue morphogenesis,morphogenesis, cellcell polarity and migration X-ray crystallography, NMR, electron microscopy 4 I Research Topics I EMBL HEIDELBERG European Bioinformatics Structural Structural Mouse Institute Biology Biology Biology pages 78–93 pages 102–111 pages 112–121 pages 122–129 Kiran Patil Kiran Paul Flicek Paul Imre Berger Imre Rob Meijers Hiroki Asari Hiroki Georg Zeller Philip Avner Oliver Stegle Oliver Ewan Birney Ewan Alvis Brazma Daniel Panne Judith Zaugg Judith Pedro Beltrão Pedro John Marioni Alex Bateman José Márquez Marco Marcia Marcia Marco Stefan Fiedler Stefan Christian Löw Anton Enright Victor Lamzin Nick Goldman Carsten Sachse Carsten Dmitri Svergun Janet Thornton Janet Stephen Cusack Cornelius Gross Cornelius Florent Cipriani Florent Moritz Gerstung Gerard Kleywegt Gerard Paul Heppenstall Paul Christoph Müller Christoph Lancrin Andrew McCarthy Andrew Thomas Schneider Matthias Wilmanns Matthias Christoph Steinbeck Christiane Schaffitzel CellCell signalling and cell differentiationdifferentiation Cellular organisation and dynamics, and cell division ChemistryChemistry andand chemicalchemical bibiologology Computational genomics and metagenomics ComputationalComputational modelling ofof biologicalbiological systems andand processesprocesses Disease mechanisms, pathogens, molecular medicine, stem cells EvolutionEvolution Functional genomics, genetics and gene networks Gene regulation,regulation, transcription,transcription, chromatin and epigenetics Imaging and image analysis Macromolecular complexes,complexes, interaction networks Neurobiology PhysicsPhysics and biophysicsbiophysics Plant biology ProteomicsProteomics RNA metabolism, transport and processing, ncRNAs and miRNAs RoboticsRobotics andand auautomation,tomation, engineeringengineering Software development and bioinformatics TissueTissue morphogenesis,morphogenesis, cell polarity and migration X-ray crystallography, NMR, electron microscopy EMBL HEIDELBERG I Research Topics I 5 European Molecular Biology Laboratory About EMBL The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is a world-class international research organisation, with some 85 independent groups covering the spectrum of molecular biology. Scientists represent disciplines including biology, chemistry, physics and computer science, working across the laboratory’s five sites. Europe’s flagship laboratory for the life sciences EMBL was founded in 1974 to create a central European laboratory in the emerging field of molecular biology. It remains the only intergovernmental research organisation in Europe that performs research in the molecular life sciences, and is directly supported by 22 member states, two associate members outside of Europe, and four prospect member states. EMBL’s goals are: t Undertaking outstanding life science research: The European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) setting trends and pushing the limits of technology. is located on the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus t Providing world-class research infrastructure in Hinxton, near Cambridge. As a European hub for and services to the member states. biomolecular data, EMBL-EBI offers the scientific community access to a variety of bioinformatics t Training and inspiring the next generation services, alongside which a number of active of scientific leaders. research groups work in areas that complement and t Driving research, innovation and progress through extend these services. technology development, interactions with industry and technology transfer. t Taking a leading role in the integration of life science research in Europe. 6 I About EMBL EMBL Hamburg develops novel, innovative technologies in structural biology, such as high- throughput crystallisation and data interpretation software, as well as operating cutting-edge synchrotron radiation beamlines and offering world- leading facilities and expertise to the research community. It also has an ambitious research programme for structures of multifunctional proteins and protein