Biological Macromolecules & Crystallography Platform

The Biotechnology Unit has extensive know-how on the production of soluble and membrane bound proteins in heterologous expression systems for structural and functional studies and is a member of the INSPIRED research infrastructure.

The currently available expression systems include bacterial, yeast, insect & mammalian cell systems. Large-scale production of proteins expressed in yeast and bacteria cells can be conducted in the fermenter unit.

Expressed recombinant proteins are purified through affinity, size exclusion or ion exchange chromatography, using FPLC systems.

The purified proteins can be subjected to crystallization in our crystallization robot. Data collection is carried out in synchrotron facilities, where HPI routinely acquires access and funding via the iNext-Discovery platform (https://inext-discovery.eu/). Structure determination and analysis is performed using standard crystallographic software (XDS, CCP4, Phenix, Coot etc.)

The platform’s ambition is to develop serological or antigenic in vitro diagnostic test (IVD) as fast as possible, since 2020 for SARS-CoV-2, today for other viral, microbial or parasitic infectious agents, and tomorrow for global health applications on human, animal and environmental samples. The cross-disciplinary talents of our team weave together physics, chemistry, biology and engineering to imagine and design these diagnostic health tests of the future.

The NMR laboratory is a technical platform of the Institut Pasteur de Lille. The laboratory is equipped with a 600MHz spectrometer with cryo-probe and sample changer, as well as a 300MHz spectrometer equipped with a sample changer.

The 300MHz low-field spectrometer is dedicated to the analytical control of small molecules to allow a fine analytical characterization of synthesized compounds or isolated natural products. Users can access it after having received training in its use

The mission of the PFBMI is to provide an added value to a great variety of biological projects, enabling the characterization of the intrinsic properties of macromolecules and their assemblies (size, shape, folding, stability auto-association,…) and of the interactions in which they are involved (stoichiometry, thermodynamic and kinetic parameters, …). PFBMI equipments are available for the entire scientific community, in France and abroad, but a priority is given to teams from Institut Pasteur and the Institut Pasteur International Network.

Our core facility provides support in developing and characterizing VHH/nanobodies against the desired antigens. The main goal of this collaboration is to provide the right nanobodies that suit to the need of the user. We try not only to provide nanobodies but we can modify them: for example, according to the need, the nanobodies can be engineered to add a fluorochrome, to perform imaging; in this way, bispecific molecules can be created.

X-ray crystallography is the most widely used technique to reveal the 3D structure of biological macromolecules at atomic resolution. These structures are essential to understand the molecular details of protein function, protein-protein interactions and overall mechanistic reactions.
The crystallography core facility provides research groups working in the field of macromolecular crystallography with the expertise and technology required for high-throughput crystallization screening, X-ray diffraction measurements, and crystallographic computing.
We offer expertise in crystallography, from the crystallization of selected protein targets to the resolution of crystal structures of biological macromolecules. We ensure this mission by participating as a partner in scientific research projects collaborations involving studies of single proteins and protein complexes.
Protein samples submitted to our facility are subjected to high-throughput crystallization for X-ray studies, and depending on the size of the macromolecule, an aliquot of the sample can be used to prepare cryo-EM grids for imaging at the Institut Pasteur Nanoimaging facility. For X-ray data collection, the core facility is a member of the Block Allocation Group (BAG) of Institut Pasteur for regular access to synchrotrons ESRF (Grenoble) and SOLEIL (St Aubin).

BioNMR-HDX provides state of the art solution NMR and HDX-MS techniques to study at an atomic or molecular level protein interactions, dynamics, structure, fragment and ligand screening, post-translational modifications, real-time kinetics, chemical structure of carbohydrates and small synthetic or natural compounds.
We also provide machine time and expertise to on campus biological NMR experts as well as for chemists for routine analysis, and perform methodological developments.