Anja Böckmann Deciphering the structure of emerging viruses to fight them better

Welcome to the Bunyavirales

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of generating knowledge to combat emerging diseases. The order Bunyavirales encompasses more than 450 species of virus, several of which are listed by the World Health Organisation as possible causes of future pandemics. 

To gain a better understanding of this group of viruses, Anja Böckmann and her team will be making a contribution from the point of view of structural biology. With the support of Impulscience^®, they will be setting up a research program to decipher the structure of two key elements for infection by viruses of the order Bunyavirales: the NSm and NSs proteins. These two proteins are considered to be virulence factors because they help viruses to colonize the host. In some of these viruses, the membrane protein NSm contributes to the assembly of viral particles, while the fibrillar protein NSs interferes with the host immune response. Both represent prime targets for future anti-viral strategies.

Virulence through the prism of nuclear magnetic resonance

Anja Böckmann and her team have been developing structural biology methods for many years, in particular solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). This technique provides an atomic resolution view of the structural and dynamic details of solids such as membrane and fibrillar proteins. The project led by Anja Böckmann plans to decipher the yet unknown structure of the NSm and NSs proteins using NMR. In order to get as close as possible to the real environment of these proteins, the researcher also plans to observe how the structures evolve during interactions with other proteins important for infection.

The challenges ahead

The dream of Anja Böckmann and her team is to study NSm and NSs proteins in their natural environment, i.e. in cells. This original approach, which has never been carried out before, requires innovative biochemical methods to be combined with NMR techniques that increase sensitivity. Impulscience will enable them to mobilize additional human and material resources to achieve this. This work will serve as a model for studying the structure of other proteins in their cellular context using NMR, which is essential for understanding their function and, ultimately, for developing strategies to better prevent and control emerging infectious diseases.