Ste Muench

An exciting PhD opportunity is available in my lab! More info about our group and research can be found here: bdaum2.wixsite.com/daumlab
Application deadline: 8th Jan 2026.
Apply here: www.exeter.ac.uk/study/pg-res...
If you are interested, get in touch!
#ArchaeaSky #CryoEM #TeamTomo

Was lucky to see this presented at the NYC cryoEM meeting earlier this year - super cool stuff!

Structure of human TRPC5 in complex with the plant nature product (-)-englerin A

We are proud to share our latest preprint: "(-)-Englerin A binds a conserved lipid site of TRPC5 and exposes a Met-aromatic motif in channel activation".

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Passage of ribosomes through micro-sprayer increases functional activity – Implications for activity assays in time-resolved cryo-EM This study examines the validity of an assay that is used to report on the retainment of functional competence by ribosomes as they pass a micro-spray…

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Unravelling the mechanisms of action of cardiac myosin modulators in health and heart disease at University of Leeds on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Unravelling the mechanisms of action of cardiac myosin modulators in health and heart disease at University of Leeds, listed on FindAPhD.com

3.5 yr funded PhD studentship available in my lab October start. Exploring cardiac myosin modulators with cryoEM and mass spec. Get in touch if interested. Apply before 28th July. www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

I'm doing the #BigHike marathon in the peak district to raise money for the charity Cancer Research UK, with my wife Siobhan, this Saturday 14 June 2025! In memory of Siobhan’s grandma, Stella 🙂 Please #sponsor us by donating money here - fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/team/siobhan...

Pint of Science kicks off in Leeds today with four events across the city centre! I'm going to be at Crowd of Favours with the Tech Me Out team hearing about all things AI! Just a few tickets left- don't miss out!
#pint25 #Leeds #scicomm

Another masterpiece from @snowentific.bsky.social

Look at what I got😀

Great post on new work from Evan Williams @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social published at ACS Cent Sci:
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Huge shout out to @jenkinsjj.bsky.social for his excellent talk on the #cryoET structure of Tau filaments from human brain tissue at CCPEM Spring Symposium in Nottingham! #cryo-EM @diamondlightsource.bsky.social @ccpem.bsky.social

Happy #pint25 day! Tickets are now live for Pint of Science across the world! Come and see what the Leeds lot have been organising: pintofscience.co.uk/events/leeds

I started on this around 2006 so only taken 20 years! The project itself started over 30 years ago. Great to finally see the elusive structure.

Image processing for cryo-electron microscopy Cryo electron microscopy (cryo EM) is a major structural biology method for studying macromolecular complexes and cellular structures in their native states. Stable high resolution cryo microscopes, …

We are thrilled to announce the 2025 EMBO practical course in cryo-em image processing, Birkbeck College, London, 9-16 Sept 2025. More info & apply: meetings.embo.org/event/25-cry... Organisers Giulia Zanetti & Helen Saibil. Beautiful image from co-organizer @carolynmoores1.bsky.social lab.

Membrane Transport Modulates the pH-Regulated Feedback of an Enzyme Reaction Confined within Lipid Vesicles Understanding ion transport dynamics in reactive vesicles is pivotal for exploring biological and chemical processes and essential for designing synthetic cells. In this work, we investigate how proton transport and membrane potential regulate pH dynamics in an autocatalytic enzyme reaction within lipid vesicles. Combining experimental and numerical methods, we demonstrate that compartmentalization within lipid membranes accelerates internal reactions, attributed to protection from the external acidic environment. In experiments, we explored how proton movement significantly impacts internal reactions by changing bilayer thickness, adding ion transporters, and varying buffers. Numerical investigations incorporated electrical membrane potential and capacitance into a kinetic model of the process, elucidating the mechanisms that dictate the control of reaction time observed in the experiment, driven by both electrical and chemical potential gradients. These findings establish a framework for controlling pH clock reactions via membrane changes and targeted manipulation of proton movement, which could aid in the design of synthetic cells with precise, controlled functionalities.

New paper led by the work of Darcey (experiment) and Anna (modelling) looking at how membrane transport and membrane potentials regulate an autocatalytic enzyme reaction confined within vesicles. We find that proton transport can be used to regulate reaction dynamics. doi.org/10.1021/acsn...

Investigation of lipid-protein interactions within mechanosensitive ion channels at Aston University on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Investigation of lipid-protein interactions within mechanosensitive ion channels at Aston University, listed on FindAPhD.com

📢 4-year funded PhD opportunity at the Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence, starting in October 2025. The project will focus on studying protein-lipid interactions in mechanosensitive channels📢

📅 Application deadline: 7th April 2025

@astonaime.bsky.social

tinyurl.com/4arujyaw

Winners of Best disruptive food and drink business plan at the YES24 competition : The Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology Congratulations to Caffinity Biotech, a team of early-career researchers from the Astbury Centre, on winning "Best disruptive food and drink business plan" sponsored by the Food Consortium Collaborati...

Congratulations to a team of early-career researchers from the Astbury Centre, on winning "Best disruptive food and drink business plan" at the YES24 competition
astbury.leeds.ac.uk/all_news/win...

Really pleased to share this story in collaboration with our fantastic industry partners @chingshinhuang.bsky.social !

Solid-supported polymer–lipid hybrid membrane for bioelectrochemistry of a membrane redox enzyme Hybrid membranes, consisting of phospholipids and amphiphilic block polymers, offer enhanced stability compared to liposomes and greater biocompatibility than polymersomes. These qualities make them a...

Recent publication presenting the work of Dr Rosa Catania on the application of solid-supported hybrid lipid-polymer membranes for the electrochemistry of a membrane redox enzyme on electrode surfaces.

pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

📢 Registration is now open for 'Wellcome-MRC Cryo-EM in Structural Biology 2025'!

📅 Join us online March 3-7 at @diamondlightsource.bsky.social @universityofleeds.bsky.social for lectures & demos in #CryoEM & #CryoET: sample prep, SPA, model building & more!🧬

🔗 www.diamond.ac.uk/Instruments/...

Mavacamten inhibits myosin activity by stabilising the myosin interacting-heads motif and stalling motor force generation Most sudden cardiac deaths in young people arise from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic disease of the heart muscle, with many causative mutations found in the molecular motor beta-cardiac myosin...

Mechanism of mavacamten inhibition of myosin - check out our preprint here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

The mechanosensitive channel YbiO has a conductance equivalent to the largest gated-pore Lane et al. demonstrate that the mechanosensitive channel YbiO can achieve conductances equivalent to the largest gated-pore in nature when subjected to membrane tension. Single-channel analysis shows...

Take a look at our new paper! We show that YbiO can achieve a conductance equivalent to MscL, the largest known gated ion channel. We also show the presence of several subconducting states. One state is consistent with a structure we determine using cryoEM.

www.cell.com/structure/fu...

The abstract deadline for the BCA Spring Meeting at the University of Leeds in April has been extended. Abstract are encouraged from all ready of structural biology - not just crystallography! hg3.co.uk/bca/

Sophie Hesketh on LinkedIn: #opentowork Hi everyone! I'm actively seeking an academic or industrial position either back in the UK/Europe, or outside of the government in the US. I have strong…

Hi Folks!
I'm actively seeking a new position, either in the UK/Europe or outside of the government in the US.
Please share with whomever and pass the word along! 🙏
www.linkedin.com/posts/hesket...

The mechanosensitive channel YbiO has a conductance equivalent to the largest gated-pore Lane et al. demonstrate that the mechanosensitive channel YbiO can achieve conductances equivalent to the largest gated-pore in nature when subjected to membrane tension. Single-channel analysis shows...

In our recent article we show the YbiO mechanosensitive channel can achieve pore openings of 3nS under membrane tension equalling the largest known gated-pore MscL and we also solve a cryo- EM structure of a YbiO in a sub-open state. Great effort by @lane-b.bsky.social www.cell.com/structure/fu...

We reviewed recent pulsed EPR Spectroscopy (PELDOR/DEER/PDS) applications on integral membrane proteins, enabled through Spin Labelling. Great to see the field moving forward!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Even older than me!

Biochemical Society In-Person training 6th UK Workshop on Membrane Proteins 14-16 April 2025 Aston University, Birmingham, UK Register online: bit.ly/6th-Membrane-Proteins Earlybird deadline: 14 February 2025

Comprising of exciting lectures, workshops and laboratory-based practical sessions, the 6th UK Workshop on Membrane Proteins is not one to miss! Don't forget the earlybird discount deadline is February 14! 🧪
Register now to save £50: www.eventsforce.net/biochemsoc/2...

Some exciting news, folks.
@timcoulson.bsky.social and I have a new science podcast launching soon. Please do follow the account for updates. More details coming very soon!

Cell-free expression and SMA copolymer encapsulation of a functional receptor tyrosine kinase disease variant, FGFR3-TACC3 - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Cell-free expression and SMA copolymer encapsulation of a functional receptor tyrosine kinase disease variant, FGFR3-TACC3

The first of my Masters papers was published last week in Nature Scientific Reports! Thank you to my Masters supervisor and co-first author @snowentific.bsky.social, all coauthors, PI @stemuench.bsky.social , & all my lovely people in the Muench lab &co. Miss you all!

www.nature.com/articles/s41...