key: cord-0753444-09v9b9om
authors: Abad-Zapatero, Cele
title: Homage to Prof. M.G. Replacement: A Celebration of Structural Biology at Purdue University
date: 2005-06-30
journal: Structure
DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2005.05.003
sha: 0e420a1e46f119044a0ad9a76e868412bfbe8141
doc_id: 753444
cord_uid: 09v9b9om

Summary On a glorious spring day in the American Midwest, friends, colleagues, collaborators, and alumni of Prof. M.G. Replacement gathered together at the campus of Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana to celebrate 40 years of structural biology and honor the man behind it all: M.G. Rossmann. The date also corresponded approximately to MGR’s 75th birthday. It was a memorable occasion for several reasons. An earlier meeting 10 years ago did also render homage to Michael (New Directions in Protein-Structure Relationships: Symposium in Honor of Professor M.G. Rossmann’s 65th Birthday, Purdue University, October 21, 1995), but on this occasion the symposium was much more encompassing of structural biology and had a more global character. A large number of featured speakers presented and discussed advances in vast areas of structural biology and came from the four corners of the world to share their work with the new generations of structural biologists currently being trained at Purdue University.

anism (i.e., Asp51, the peptide bond across Tyr440-mony. She is always a bottomless source of information, such as references, history, and personal refer-Ser441, His503) of the oxidase. Tomitake discussed the structural evidence supporting the controversial proton ences to name a few, and also, I am most certain, of the current state of MGR's grant finances. The audience transfer across the peptide bond and the electron transfer path from the carbonyl of Ser441 to heme a3 recognized her unique contribution when at the end of her brief discourse they gave her a prolonged standing and through the helical bulge H378-F377-H376 to the outside. The high-resolution structures (1.8/1.9 Å in the ovation. By taking care of so many odd jobs for MGR, she let him concentrate on the important tasks and rev-fully oxidized/reduced states) showed that the net positive charge created upon oxidation of the low-spin olutionize the field. This is indeed a major contribution. John E. ("Jack") Johnson (Scripps Research Insti-heme of the enzyme drives the active proton transport from the interior of the mitochondria to Asp51 on the tute, California), a close associate of Michael's for many years, concluded the lunch period with some candid enzyme surface. During the reverse reaction, enzyme reduction induces proton ejection from the aspartate to anecdotes of his time at Purdue, from the late days of the dehydrogenases (GPDH and LDH) to his impact on the mitochondrial exterior. Given the sheer size of the oxidase (13 subunits), and the complexity of the reac-the critical work on the first virus solved at Purdue, southern bean mosaic virus (SBMV). The methods de-tion catalyzed by this enzyme, one is constantly reminded of the subtlety of the conformational changes veloped during those years are now mainstream in the area of virus crystallography. required to transfer protons or electrons by such a large multimeric enzyme across the mitochondrial membrane

The afternoon session was chaired by Prof. Carol Post (Purdue University) and was devoted almost ex- (Tsukihara et al., 1996 (Tsukihara et al., , 2003 .

In perfect consonance with the spirit and intensity of clusively to virus work. The first speaker presented structural genomics results. Ming Luo (University of Al-the honoree, the organizers allowed the attendees only a brief break for lunch packed with anecdotes and rec-abama), a former graduate student in MGR's lab, pre- while human adenoviruses do not contain a membrane and can cause pathological conditions in animals rang-It was a very special moment when Sharon Wilder, MGR's personal assistant and factotum, told the story ing from fish to humans. Based on the structural features of the viral coat proteins containing the "double-of how she found her way to Michael's office for her job interview. The rest is history. Outsiders to the laboratory barrel trimer" motif, Roger argued that viruses infecting bacteria could be related by evolution to those infecting will probably never realize what a unique role Sharon has played in the field. Anonymous, unassuming, but animal hosts. Using structure-based modeling, he presented data suggesting that other large viruses, infect-always extremely competent and knowledgeable in a myriad of tasks, she always orchestrated the routine of ing members of the three domains of life eukarya, bacteria, and archea, may have coats constructed in a the Purdue laboratory with a gentle but effective har- 

to experience the pleasures of discovery and the ago-Ignacio discussed the results in the context of the more nies and anguish of the temporary failures along the conventional and larger group that contains the seroway. You have enriched our personal and professional type that causes the common cold virus (HRV14). The lives immensely." receptor piece bound around the 5-fold axis and away After the official reception at the end of the meeting, from the "canyon" site, which is the recognition site of it was time to honor another anonymous contributor to the larger group of rhinoviruses (Verdaguer et al., 2004; the field: MGR's wife Audrey. From her early cartoons Olson et al., 1993) . drawn to convey the meandering of the polypeptide Terje Dokland (University of Alabama, Birmingham), chain in LDH, she has followed the breakthroughs of a former postdoc associated with the lab, presented the laboratory by inviting and hosting for dinner and his results on the structures of the nucleocapsid and other social events generation upon generation of stucore proteins of two enveloped ssRNA + virus of two dents, postdocs, associates, and collaborators. On the different families. He discussed the structure of the side, she was always producing pottery masterpieces core protein of west nile virus (WNV, family Flaviviridae) to mark each scientific milestone of the laboratory or and the nucleocapsid protein of the porcine reproducthe departure of friends or coworkers. The attendees tive respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV, family Arteriviflocked to University Place to present their tribute, ridae). Even though the proteins are about the same friendship, and homage to her. There were hugs and size and both forms dimerize, the structures differ draemotional exchanges with this remarkable woman who matically. The WNV protein is entirely α-helical and rehas played such an important role in the life of not only sembles proteins of the HEAT/ARM repeat class. In

Michael, but also of every single person who has had contrast, the nucleocapsid protein of PRRSV consists the good fortune of interacting with her. of a β sheet floor, covered and flanked by helices, and A beautiful sunset completed this momentous day of resembles crudely the coat protein of bacteriophage spectacular structural biology, excellent science, warm MS2. A distinct solution to the disposition of the profriendships, camaraderie, and unforgettable memories teins in the viral capsid was not possible yet, but he at the Purdue University campus on the occasion of presented several possibilities (Dokland et al., 2004;  honoring 

West nile virus core protein: tetramer structure and ribbon formation

The palm subdomain-based active site is internally permuted in viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerases of an ancient lineage

Temporal modulation of an autoprotease is crucial for replication and pathogenecity of an RNA virus

Evidence that a local refolding event triggers maturation of HK97 bacteriophage capsid

Structural Aspects of Protein Synthesis, (Hackensack

Highthroughput expression of C. elegans proteins

Structure of the Rotor of the V-type Na+-ATPase from Enterococcus hirae

Direct observation of the rotation of F1-ATPase

Structure of a human rhinovirus complexed with its receptor molecule

Structural and phylogenetic analysis of adenovirus hexons by use of high-resolution X-ray crystallographic, molecular modeling, and sequence-based methods

Crystal structure of RecBCD enzyme reveals a machine for processing DNA breaks

Unique and conserved features of genome and proteome of SARS-Coronavirus, an early split-off from the coronavirus group 2 lineage

Molecular architecture of the rotary motor in ATP synthase

Acknowledgments this virus (T=7) was described as a "molecular balloon," because the particle diameter ranges in the icosahedral The author thanks the organizers of the symposium: R. Kuhn, J. Bolin, B. Fein, J. Johnson, J. Smith, and D. Neary. He also acknowl-shell from 540 to 630 Å, but the thickness of the shell