Collaborative Research Resources

Biomolecular NMR laboratory

The NMR resources of the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics provide state-of-the-art access to solution studies of the structure and internal motion of biological macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids.

The Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics has arguably the most comprehensive solution NMR resources of the southwestern United States. Bruker Avance III HD 800, 600 and 500 MHz and Bruker NEO 800 MHz and 600 MHz spectrometers form the NMR resource of the Biomolecular NMR Resource of the Department. All spectrometers are comprised of four independent channels for 1H, 13C, 15N and 2H and triple resonance probes. Both 800 MHz spectrometers and the Avance 600 and 500 MHz spectrometers are equipped with He-cooled with cryogenically cooled probes. The NEO 600 MHz instrument triple resonance probe is also 19F capable and is nitrogen cooled. Standard conventional room temperature triple resonance probes are also available for each spectrometer. Extensive high pressure NMR capabilities including two Daedalus Innovations Xtreme 60 computer controlled pressure generators (rated to 4 kbar), six Daedalus Innovations NMR pressure cells (5 mm o.d./3 mm i.d. rated to 2.5 (5) and 3 (1) kbar) and a full range of reverse micelle encapsulation apparatus.

Center for Phage Technology (CPT)

The CPT establishes translational applications to practical problems in human, animal, and crop disease, as well as industrial applications

As the only state-funded phage research institute in the United States, the Center for Phage Technology (CPT) is dedicated to being a world leader in advancing phage therapy in the modern world.

Perspective

Throughout history, bacterial infections have been one of the most frequent causes of death in humans. Bacterial pathogens also cause several economically impactful diseases affecting both animal and plant agriculture. For more than 50 years, we have kept pathogenic bacteria at bay in both human medicine and agriculture with cheap, mass-produced chemical antibiotics. However, antibiotic-resistant bacteria are reaching epidemic proportions worldwide. For example, antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus killed more people than HIV in the United States in 2005. It is only recently that the bacterial microbiota has become recognized as an important organ of the human body. Even if new broad-spectrum antibiotics could be developed, it is clear that each use of such chemicals can be highly deleterious to the microbiota and thus to health. Both of these trends have served to re-energize interest in bacteriophages, or phage, the viruses that infect bacteria.

Establishment and Mandate of the CPT

Coupled with modern DNA-based biotechnology, phage have enormous potential as “green” anti-bacterial agents. In May 2010, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents established The Center for Phage Technology (CPT), with the mandate to position the Texas A&M University System as a world leader in the application of phage to combat: bacterial infections in humans, animals, and plants, to promote food safety, to protect against potential bacteriological weapons, and to prevent or mitigate the deleterious effects of bacterial contamination, degradation, and corrosion in industry.

There are now eight tenured or tenure-track faculty that form the core faculty group of the CPT. The CPT staff provides phage expertise, research services, and collaborative opportunities to faculty, research enterprises, and companies with phage-related research interests. The CPT website aims to provide a complete suite of bioinformatic tools for phage genome annotation, as well as protocols for all sorts of phage-related research.

Center for Structural Biology

The Center for Structural Biology uses modern advances in structural biology to combat diseases affecting human health.

The Center for Structural Biology uses X-ray crystallography to study non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, malaria, and tuberculosis. The Center has several projects using structural biology to answer questions about different diseases that affect human health. Structural biology is the study of the three-dimensional shape assumed by biological macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids. Practical applications of protein structural data allows researchers to understand how protein structure contributes to some diseases and has created a new method of drug discovery known as structure guided drug design. 

Laboratory for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics (LBSD)

Adding a rare new capability, the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics houses a Krios G4, which provides unrivaled atomic resolution for single particle and tomographic cryo-electron microscopy.

Adding a rare new capability, the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics now houses a leading-edge 300 kV cryo-electron microscope. The award-winning Krios G4 provides unrivaled atomic resolution for single-particle and tomographic cryo-electron microscopy.

The precisely renovated room for the instrument in the Biochemistry and Biophysics Building was built to minimize vibrations and other interferences. A continuous air exchange system allows for temperature control with minimum change in airflow. The room is also humidity controlled to reduce ice contamination on the grids during handling.

In September 2022, technical experts from Thermo-Fisher finished installing the instrument in collaboration with Gaya Yadav, Ph.D., technical director of the cryo-EM resource; Terry Lovingshimer, Operations Manager for Biochemistry and Biophysics; and Junjie Zhang, Ph.D., Associate Professor and faculty director for the resource.

Notable Equipment

• Krios G4 Cryo-TEM, equipped with autoloader.
• Gatan K3 direct electron detector Camera with BioContinuum post-column Imaging filter.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific phase plate.
• Ceta-D camera for low-dose diffraction data collection.
• Vitrobot Mark IV for sample vitrification.
• EasiGlow dual system (TedPella) for glow discharging the grids.
• GPU-accelerated workstation to process cryo-EM data.

The resource is available to support research within The Texas A&M University System and beyond.

Protein Chemistry Lab (PCL)

The PCL provides state-of-the-art instrumentation, systems, software, technical expertise and training as a means to support cutting-edge research in protein chemistry and proteomics.

The Protein Chemistry Laboratory (PCL) provides state-of-the-art capabilities in various aspects of analytical protein chemistry. The laboratory is located on the 4^th floor of the main building of the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics. The PCL supports research-grade instruments and analyses such as:

• Bruker Ultraflextreme MALDI-TOF-TOF instrument for biopolymer molecular weight determination even in the context of tissue imaging
• ForteBio Octet RED96 Bio-Layer Interferometry system for studies of macromolecular binding phenomena
• Jasco J-1500 circular dichroism spectrophotometer for characterization of protein secondary structure
• LC-MS-MS Data Dependent Acquisition for protein identification.
• Quantitative amino acid analysis

The PCL is classified as an external revenue unit and is operated by the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics under the direction of Dr. Gayan Nawaratna ([email protected]) who provides training and consultation to users if desired. Contact them directly for an introduction to the PCL and to coordinate access to instrumentation and other capabilities.