Application of the use of high-throughput technologies to the determination of protein structures of bacterial and viral pathogens

The Structural Proteomics In Europe ( SPINE) programme is aimed at the development and implementation of highthroughput technologies for the efficient structure determination of proteins of biomedical importance, such as those of bacterial and viral pathogens linked to human health. Despite the challenging nature of some of these targets, 175 novel pathogen protein structures (similar to 220 including complexes) have been determined to date. Here the impact of several technologies on the structural determination of proteins from human pathogens is illustrated with selected examples, including the parallel expression of multiple constructs, the use of standardized refolding protocols and optimized crystallization screens.