• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

One of the world's leading research institutes, our scientists are working to advance understanding of biological processes at the molecular level - providing the knowledge needed to solve key problems in human health.

  • Home
  • About LMB
  • Research
  • Research Groups
  • Students
  • Recruitment
  • Life at the LMB
  • Achievements
  • News & Events
Home > Research Leaders > N to S > Sjors Scheres
Sjors Scheres ss

Sjors Scheres

Visualising proteins in health and disease


Personal group site

Amyloid filaments made of the protein Tau from Alzheimer's diseaseWe are intrigued by how proteins work. The genetic code determines the amino acid sequence of proteins, which in turn determines their 3D-structure. The precise 3D-arrangement of different types of atoms inside proteins allows them to perform the many types of functions that are needed to keep the cell alive. Therefore, visualising the 3D-structures of proteins is a powerful way to find out more about how they work. Research in our lab focuses on different aspects of protein structure determination.

One line of research is the development of image processing methods to determine protein structures from electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) images. We implement these methods in our open-source computer program RELION. This program is used to solve protein structures in many cryo-EM labs worldwide.

In another line of research, we use experimental cryo-EM together with our own image processing developments to discover new protein structures. Instead of solving structures of proteins in their healthy, functional state we focus on protein structures that are associated with disease. For this purpose, we extract amyloid filaments from the brains of individuals with different types of neurodegenerative diseases, like amyloid filaments made of the protein Tau from Alzheimer’s disease (image above) or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This work has revealed that the same protein may adopt surprisingly different structures in different diseases, and ongoing efforts are aimed at understanding how this happens. This line of research is done in close collaboration with the Goedert group.

https://youtu.be/BtuAz12zXBs

Selected Papers

  • B. Falcon, J. Zivanov, W. Zhang, A.G. Murzin, H.J. Garringer, R. Vidal, R.A. Crowther, K.L. Newell, B. Ghetti, M. Goedert & S.H.W. Scheres (2019)
    Novel tau filament fold in chronic traumatic encephalopathy encloses hydrophobic molecules
    Nature 568: 420-423.
  • J. Zivanov, T. Nakane, B. Forsberg, D. Kimanius, W.J.H. Hagen, E. Lindahl & S.H.W. Scheres (2018)
    RELION-3: new tools for automated high-resolution cryo-EM structure determination
    eLife 7: e42166.
  • A.W.P. Fitzpatrick, B. Falcon, S. He, A.G. Murzin, G. Murshudov, H.J. Garringer, R.A. Crowther, B. Ghetti, M. Goedert & S.H.W. Scheres (2017)
    Cryo-EM structures of tau filaments from Alzheimer's disease
    Nature 547: 185-346.
  • S.H.W. Scheres (2012)
    RELION: Implementation of a Bayesian approach to cryo-EM structure determination
    J. Struc. Biol. 180: 519-530.

Group Members

  • Kyle Dent
  • Joe Greener
  • Kiarash Jamali
  • Dari Kimanius
  • David Li
  • Sofia Lovestam
  • Ben Luisi
  • Chao Qi
  • Johannes Schwab
  • James Stacey
  • Yang Yang

Primary Sidebar

Research Leaders

  • A to G
    • Matteo Allegretti
    • Radu Aricescu
    • David Barford
    • Buzz Baum
    • Anne Bertolotti
    • Tanmay Bharat
    • Mariann Bienz
    • Simon Bullock
    • Albert Cardona
    • Andrew Carter
    • Jason Chin
    • Gerry Crossan
    • Emmanuel Derivery
    • Michel Goedert
    • Julian Gough
    • Ingo Greger
  • H to M
    • Michael Hastings
    • Ramanujan Hegde
    • Richard Henderson
    • Philipp Holliger
    • Leo James
    • Gregory Jefferis
    • Patrycja Kozik
    • Madeline Lancaster
    • Jan Löwe
    • Kate McDole
    • Andrew McKenzie
    • Harvey McMahon
    • Liz Miller
    • Sean Munro
    • Garib Murshudov
  • N to S
    • Kelly Nguyen
    • John O’Neill
    • Lori Passmore
    • Lalita Ramakrishnan
    • Venki Ramakrishnan
    • Felix Randow
    • Jing Ren
    • Christopher Russo
    • Benjamin Ryskeldi-Falcon
    • Julian Sale
    • William Schafer
    • Sjors Scheres
    • Marta Shahbazi
    • John Sutherland
  • T to Z
    • Chris Tate
    • Marco Tripodi
    • Ana Tufegdžić Vidaković
    • Roger Williams
    • Joseph Yeeles
    • Suyang Zhang
    • Marta Zlatic
  • Emeritus
    • Brad Amos
    • Tony Crowther
    • Phil Evans
    • Alan Fersht
    • Michael Gait
    • Rob Kay
    • John Kendrick-Jones
    • John Kilmartin
    • Peter Lawrence
    • Andrew Leslie
    • David Neuhaus
    • Hugh Pelham
    • Daniela Rhodes
    • Murray Stewart
    • Andrew Travers
    • Nigel Unwin
    • Greg Winter
  • LMB Fellows
  • Molecular Immunity Unit

Search

  • Privacy & Cookies
  • Contact Directory
  • Freedom of Information
  • Site Map
Find Us
©2023 MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology,
Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK. 01223 267000

The MRC is part of UK Research and Innovation

Contact Us