This study uses cryo-electron tomography to reveal that PRC1-CBX8 condensates are porous and dynamic, challenging the notion of rigid chromatin compaction in gene repression.

bioRxiv · May 8, 2023Biophysics

OpenFIBSEM: an application programming interface for easy FIB/SEM automation

P. Cleeve, D. Dierickx, G. Buckley, S. Gorelick, L. Naegele, L. Burne, J. C. Whisstock, A. de Marco

The paper introduces OpenFIBSEM, an SDK for simplifying automation of FIB/SEM microscopes through pre-built control blocks.

bioRxiv · Nov 1, 2022 · PreprintCell Biology

Imprinted antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sublineages

Y.-J. Park, D. Pinto, A. C. Walls, Z. Liu, A. De Marco, F. Benigni, F. Zatta, C. Silacci-Fregni, J. Bassi, K. R. Sprouse, A. Addetia, J. E. Bowen, C. Stewart, M. Giurdanella, C. Saliba, , Piccoli

This study shows that hybrid immunity and vaccine boosters provide potent neutralizing activity against Omicron BA.1 and BA.2, while breakthrough infections induce nasal mucosal neutralization and identify an ultrapotent pan-variant antibody.

bioRxiv · May 8, 2022Immunology

Helical ultrastructure of the oncogenic metalloprotease meprin α in complex with a small molecule hydroxamate inhibitor

C. Bayly-Jones, C. J. Lupton, C. Fritz, H. Venugopal, D. Ramsbeck, M. Wermann, C. Jager, A. de Marco, S. Schilling, D. Schlenzig, J. C. Whisstock

This study determines the high-resolution structure of meprin α, revealing its helical assembly and interactions with an inhibitor and fetuin-B, showing oligomerization enhances stability without affecting activity.

bioRxiv · Mar 13, 2022 · PreprintBiochemistry

Broadly neutralizing antibodies overcome SARS-CoV-2 Omicron antigenic shift

E. Cameroni, C. Saliba, J. E. Bowen, L. E. Rosen, K. Culap, D. Pinto, L. A. VanBlargan, A. De Marco, S. K. Zepeda, J. di Iulio, F. Zatta, H. Kaiser, J. Noack, N. Farhat, N. Czudnochowski, , P

This study shows that Omicron variant's spike protein has enhanced ACE2 binding and reduces neutralizing activity, but some broadly neutralizing antibodies remain effective.

bioRxiv · Dec 12, 2021Immunology

Antibody-mediated broad sarbecovirus neutralization through ACE2 molecular mimicry

Y.-J. Park, A. De Marco, T. N. Starr, Z. Liu, D. Pinto, A. C. Walls, F. Zatta, S. K. Zepeda, J. E. Bowen, K. S. Sprouse, A. Joshi, M. Giurdanella, B. Guarino, J. Noack, R. Abdelnabi, , D. Veesler

This study identifies a broadly neutralizing antibody against sarbecoviruses that targets the ACE2 binding site and shows high resistance to escape mutations.

bioRxiv · Oct 13, 2021Immunology

Structural basis for broad sarbecovirus neutralization by a human monoclonal antibody

M. A. Tortorici, N. Czudnochowski, T. N. Starr, R. Marzi, A. C. Walls, F. Zatta, J. E. Bowen, S. Jaconi, J. di Iulio, Z. Wang, A. De Marco, S. Zepeda, D. Pinto, Z. Liu, M. Beltramello, , J. Bloom

This paper identifies a human monoclonal antibody that broadly neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 variants and zoonotic sarbecoviruses by targeting a conserved epitope on the spike protein.

bioRxiv · Apr 7, 2021 · PreprintImmunology

Antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain that maximize breadth and resistance to viral escape

T. N. Starr, N. Czudnochowski, F. Zatta, Y.-J. Park, Z. Liu, A. Addetia, D. Pinto, M. Beltramello, P. Hernandez, A. J. Greaney, R. Marzi, W. G. Glass, I. Zhang, A. S. Dingens, J. E. Bowen, , Veesler

This study identifies antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 that balance neutralization potency and breadth, with some showing high resistance to viral escape.

bioRxiv · Apr 6, 2021 · PreprintMicrobiology

SARS-CoV-2 immune evasion by variant B.1.427/B.1.429

M. McCallum, J. Bassi, A. De Marco, A. Chen, A. C. Walls, J. Di Iulio, M. A. Tortorici, M.-J. Navarro, C. Silacci-Fregni, C. Saliba, M. Agostini, D. Pinto, K. Culap, S. Bianchi, S. Jaconi, , D. Veesler

This study evaluates how the B.1.427/B.1.429 SARS-CoV-2 variant evades neutralizing antibodies through mutations in the RBD and NTD, showing reduced neutralization by both vaccine-induced and infection-derived antibodies.

bioRxiv · Mar 31, 2021 · PreprintImmunology

N-terminal domain antigenic mapping reveals a site of vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

M. McCallum, A. De Marco, F. Lempp, M. A. Tortorici, D. Pinto, A. C. Walls, M. Beltramello, A. Chen, Z. Liu, F. Zatta, S. Zepeda, J. di Iulio, J. E. Bowen, M. Montiel-Ruiz, J. Zhou, , D. Veesler

The paper identifies a conserved antigenic supersite on the SARS-CoV-2 N-terminal domain recognized by neutralizing antibodies and shows its vulnerability to mutations in variants.

bioRxiv · Jan 14, 2021Immunology

New insights into sperm ultrastructure through enhanced scanning electron microscopy

D. Korneev, D. J. Merriner, G. Gervinskas, A. de Marco, M. O'Bryan

This study introduces new protocols for sperm ultrastructure analysis using SEM and FIB-SEM, revealing novel structures and interactions in mouse sperm.

bioRxiv · Nov 12, 2020Cell Biology

The circulating SARS-CoV-2 spike variant N439K maintains fitness while evading antibody-mediated immunity

E. C. Thomson, L. E. Rosen, J. G. Shepherd, R. Spreafico, A. da Silva Filipe, J. A. Wojcechowskyj, C. Davis, L. Piccoli, D. J. Pascall, J. Dillen, S. Lytras, N. Czudnochowski, R. Shah, M. Meury, N. Jesudason, , J. Nichols

The paper shows the N439K SARS-CoV-2 spike variant maintains replication fitness while evading antibody neutralization.

bioRxiv · Nov 4, 2020Microbiology

Structural and functional analysis of a potent sarbecovirus neutralizing antibody

D. Pinto, Y.-J. Park, M. Beltramello, A. C. Walls, M. A. Tortorici, S. Bianchi, S. Jaconi, K. Culap, F. Zatta, A. De Marco, A. Peter, B. Guarino, R. Spreafico, E. Cameroni, J. B. Case, , D. Corti

This study identifies and characterizes a potent neutralizing antibody, S309, against SARS-CoV-2 and related sarbecoviruses, showing its efficacy in preventing viral entry and potential for therapeutic use.

bioRxiv · Apr 7, 2020Immunology

Automated cryo-lamella preparation for high-throughput in-situ structural biology

G. Buckley, G. Gervinskas, H. Venugopal, C. Taveneau, J. C. Whisstock, A. de Marco

This paper introduces an automated method for preparing cryo-lamellae, increasing throughput from ~10 lamellae/day to 5 lamellae/hour with consistent quality for cryo-ET analysis.

bioRxiv · Oct 8, 2019Cell Biology

Oxygen plasma focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy for biological samples

S. Gorelick, D. Korneev, A. Handley, G. Gervinskas, V. Oorschot, O. L. Kaluza, R. H. Law, M. O'Bryan, R. Pocock, J. C. Whisstock, A. de Marco

This paper introduces oxygen plasma FIB-SEM as a faster and more versatile method for cellular tomography compared to gallium FIB-SEM.

bioRxiv · Oct 31, 2018 · PreprintCell Biology