About the NWSGC
Structural Genomics is a new and rapidly growing interdisciplinary research aimed at extending the vast array of genomic sequence data with a comparable, systematic database of protein structures. Synchrotron Radiation based X-ray Crystallography is unique in providing very accurate high resolution structures of proteins and their complexes. Thus, translating genome sequence to large numbers of protein structures via high throughput approaches is of urgent and strategic importance for healthcare as well as for fundamental biology.
In early 2000, a consortium of several groups in the North West of England proposed the establishment of a structure genomics centre (NWSGC) to exploit the unique resources offered by their close proximity to the UK's current synchrotron radiation source (SRS) which has already contributed to UK's leading position in Structural Biology. The NWSGC members have brought together expertise in X-ray protein crystallography, pathogens biology, membrane proteins, metalloproteins and thus initiated the first structural genomics effort in the UK.
Worldwide, structural genomics has been made possible by recent rapid progress in several related key technologies. These include synchrotron based MAD (Multiple wavelength Anomalous Dispersion ) phase determination, cloning and recombinant expression, genome sequencing projects and bioinformatic methods of fold assignment and function prediction.
In summer 2001, the Leeds Bioinformatics group joined the consortium. In July 2001, UK's research councils (BBSRC, EPSRC & MRC) funded a 5 year grant entitled "NW Structure Genomics Centre'S High Throughput MAD Beamline for PATHOGENS GENOMES". This beamline is based on a state of the art high field multipole wiggler which with saggital focussing is expected to provide a highly competitive MAD facilities. The new facility will be available to the consortium for 33% of the time with the remaining 67% of the time being for the wider community as a whole (from years 4-5).
During 2002 Astex Technology of Cambridge joined the NWSGC and has generously provided funding for a Ph.D. student working on Cytochrome P450's and a 2 year PDRA.
The NWSGC has an international advisory committee drawing strengths and experience from the international genomics effort. Recently the IAC held a meeting during the International Structural Genomics Conference in Berlin.
Projects
NWSGC has selected to join the International TB effort and has established close links with the RIKEN structural genomics programme including the signing of a memoranum of understanding between DL and Riken.
The choice of M. tuberculosis is highly pertinent to the consortium's healthcare mission as the bacillus is responsible for tuberculosis (TB), a disease estimated to produce every year ten million new cases and three million deaths world-wide. NWSGC has carefully chosen particular targets in the TB genome for structural and functional studies based on the best available proteomics information and our specific interests and strengths. Some 40 targets have already been chosen and are being worked upon. NWSGC has adopted a focussed approach where targets are selected for their importance to healthcare and biology and thus differs from the original structural genomics concept of completing fold space.