Centers for Research on Structural Biology of Infectious Diseases (CRSTAL-ID)—Resources

The Centers for Research on Structural Biology of Infectious Diseases provide the research community with:

  • 3-D protein structures and protein-ligand complexes
  • Sequence-verified clones and peptides
  • Services that deliver requested 3-D structure determination
  • Molecular screening of proteins in complex with inhibitors, cofactors and substrate analogs

Main Areas of Focus

  • To apply state-of-the-art high-throughput technologies and methodologies to experimentally characterize the three dimensional (3-D) atomic structure of proteins or other molecules having an important biological role -in human pathogens and infectious diseases, especially those in the NIAID Category A-C priority lists and organisms causing emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases

Support Services

  • Determination of 3-D structure of proteins
  • Molecular screening of proteins in complex with inhibitors, cofactors and substrate analogs
  • Experimental 3-D protein structures and protein-ligand complexes (X-ray, NMR structures of NIAID category A-C priority agents and organisms causing emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases)
  • Sequence-verified clones and peptides

Services are provided by:

Tools

  • Protein structures determined at the Centers are deposited into the Protein Data Bank (PDB)

Who Can Use This Resource

  • Investigators in academia, not-for-profit organizations, industry, and government worldwide may request that the Centers determine the structure of proteins of interest in addition to protein targets identified by the Centers themselves.
  • Protein structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) are available to the public.
  • Get more details on these criteria.

How To Get Started

  • The process for requesting determination of protein structures is outlined on the CSGID and SSGCID websites.
  • Criteria for structure selection considers the properties and importance of the protein, availability of genomic or cDNA from the target organism, how determination of its structure will benefit the scientific community and inclusion on the NIAID Category A-C priority lists and organisms causing emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
  • Protein structures determined at the Centers are deposited into the Protein Data Bank (PDB) through which they are freely available to the public. The two Centers have agreed to meet certain structure completion metrics for deposition of their structures into PDB.

Prioritization and Approval Process

Proposals for targets submitted by the community for determination of 3-D structure in addition to those identified by the Centers themselves are reviewed and approved by NIAID staff according to the following criteria:

  • Benefit to the scientific community
  • Public health importance
  • Feasibility, including, for example, physical/chemical properties of the protein for 3-D structure determination and availability of genomic or cDNA from the target organism

Highest priority is given to targets proposed by the community.

Assurance to Requestors

  • All information provided to the Centers will be treated as confidential.
  • If necessary, investigators requesting services of the Centers may negotiate a Materials Transfer Agreement to govern the exchange of research materials and tools.

Contact Information

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