Joost Snijder

PDB101: Molecule of the Month: Malaria Parasite PTEX The parasite that causes malaria exports hundreds of proteins to remodel the cells that it infects.

The parasite that causes malaria exports hundreds of proteins to remodel the cells that it infects. #ASBMB2026 #ASBMB26
More on Malaria Parasite PTEX at PDB-101:

Structural basis for Rep-mediated adeno-associated virus packaging pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41790558/ #cryoEM

🚨 new paper alert 🚨

Here we demonstrate increased anti-RBS neutralizing responses elicited by stabilized influenza H5 immunogens:

bit.ly/4u8UxJl

A research team from the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, the Institut Pasteur, and EMBL has shown in a Nature paper how the influenza polymerase, a molecular thief, uses the host RNA to replicate.

Check out the MPI press release: www.mpinat.mpg.de/5179649/pr_2...

deze is voor jullie (verwacht: augustus) 👀

Lenacapavir prevents production of infectious HIV-1 by abrogating immature virus assembly. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.02.709178v1 #cryoEM

Weer tientallen zorg­instellingen ingelijfd door private equity: ‘Er ontstaan machtsblokken’ Steeds meer zorginstellingen komen in handen van private investeerders. Met goedkeuring van de overheid kochten zij vorig jaar ruim honderd zorgorganisaties op. De Tweede Kamer kijkt machteloos toe.

Jouw tandarts, fysiotherapeut of opticien kan momenteel onderdeel zijn van een internationale investeerder. Private equity koopt in hoog tempo zorginstellingen op, met goedkeuring van de overheid. Maar wat betekent dat voor de prijs, kwaliteit en onze keuzevrijheid als het op zorg aankomt?

The results are finally in! 🏆💻🧬

I'm thrilled to announce that the manuscript for the Bits to Binders protein design competition is out on bioRxiv! Here's a summary of our findings, including some simple criteria that nearly *double* success rates when applied as a filter 🧵

Introducing our new blood-stage malaria vaccine immunogen based on the essential invasion protein PfCyRPA. By understanding where on PfCyRPA the best antibodies bind, we used structure guided design to generate PfCyRPA-EM, which contains only the epitopes of the best antibodies.

Stunning new structural analysis and mechanism for Tmn anti-phage defense by @fnobrega.bsky.social

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

High-resolution in situ structures of hantavirus glycoprotein tetramers The cryo-EM structures of Andes hantavirus (ANDV) glycoprotein tetramers, dimers of tetramers, and ADI-65534 Fab complexes on eVLPs unveil the molecular basis of New World hantavirus glycoprotein architecture, acid-induced membrane fusion, and antibody-mediated neutralization. Immunization with repRNA encoding ANDV-VLPs elicits high neutralizing-antibody titers.

Now online! High-resolution in situ structures of hantavirus glycoprotein tetramers

With Eugene Koonin, we propose a concept of “the selfish ribosome”, under which evolution of life is viewed as a ribosomal takeover, where the ribosome evolved to consume most of the cell’s resources, while other cellular componentry ensures the propagation of the ribosome. arxiv.org/abs/2602.23268

PDB101: Molecule of the Month: Lenacapavir A potent and long-acting drug that targets the HIV capsid

The March Molecule of the Month looks at Lenacapavir, a potent and long-acting drug that targets the HIV capsid #ASBMB2026

Cryo-EM structures of prefusion HSV-2 gB in complex with human antibodies.

Our fourth installment on prefusion herpesvirus gB proteins is available as a preprint: doi.org/10.64898/202.... Working with Ivelin Georgiev's group, we isolated and characterized prefusion-specific HSV gB antibodies from humans!

High-resolution in situ structures of hantavirus glycoprotein tetramers pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41763200/ #cryoEM

CryoVirusDB: An Annotated Dataset for AI-Based Virus Particle Identification in Cryo-EM Micrographs pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41754567/ #cryoEM

Is deze coalitie blind voor het tijdsgewricht? De doorrekening van het coalitieakkoord bevestigde dat de rijken rijker worden en de armen armer. Volgens premier Jetten moeten er misschien nog wat ‘puntjes op de i’ worden gezet.

Dit gaat niet over het ietsiepietsie aanpassen van koopkrachtplaatjes, dit gaat over het fundamenteel niet verstaan van het tijdsgewricht.

Column over het #coalitieakkoord

Vandaag gratis te lezen

www.groene.nl/artikel/aanv...

In new study we examine constraints on evolution of endemic "common-cold" coronavirus 229E

We find strong tradeoff between antibody neutralization & receptor binding, due to up-down position of spike RBD

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

See lead author Sheri Harari's summary: x.com/SheriHarari/...

Out today in @natecoevo.nature.com!

📝 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

We compare the mutational tolerance of enteroviruses A & B across their full proteomes, mapping distinct host interaction strategies 🦠 and identifying mutation-resistant regions that could inform antiviral development 💊

Cynthia in action 😎

Happening now, looking forward to the talks!

Functional and antigenic constraints on the Nipah virus fusion protein | PNAS Nipah virus is a highly pathogenic virus in the family Paramyxoviridae that utilizes two distinct surface glycoproteins to infect cells. The recept...

In new study led by Brendan Larsen, we map functional constraint across the Nipah virus F protein to define constrained epitopes for antibody targeting and identify mutations that stabilize the prefusion conformation for vaccine immunogens.

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Structural insight into the assembly and D antigenicity of polio type 1 stabilized virus-like particles pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41735326/ #cryoEM

Can safely way this is the craziest and coolest study I have led. We chart the evolution of sheeppox virus, finding it in the Eurasian steppe ~3700 years ago, and also in a LOT of parchment from medieval Europe (made from a range of animals skins!) #aDNA

Varicella zoster virus and the central nervous system Nature Reviews Microbiology, Published online: 24 February 2026; doi:10.1038/s41579-026-01289-9Varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection causes varicella and herpes zoster and, rarely, severe central nervous system (CNS) complications, including encephalitis. Ogunjimi et al. review the evidence linking herpes zoster with stroke and dementia, summarize innate and adaptive immune responses to VZV-related CNS disease, and debate the consequences of vaccination.

New online! Varicella zoster virus and the central nervous system

Antibody-mediated feedback modulates interclonal competition in the germinal center Antibodies generated by prior immune responses regulate B cell responses upon recall immunization. Barbulescu et al. examine whether antibodies produced by an ongoing immune response influence the out...

One more trick pulled off by antibody-mediated feedback

www.cell.com/immunity/ful...

Our latest preprint: Together with the team of Jan Löwe, @danieltamarit.bsky.social and many others we discovered and characterized several Asgard tubulin genes and propose that microtubule architecture and dynamics evolved in Asgard archaea prior to eukaryogenesis
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

We're hosting Waters in Utrecht for their University Tour. Come learn about their latest LC-MS, HDX-MS, and CD-MS solutions. Next week February 26th. With our very own Cynthia Kelley on our antiviral antibody epitope mapping work by HDX-MS. Register via the link:
web.cvent.com/event/f223ae...

PDB101: Molecule of the Month: H5 Hemagglutinin Sugar-binding protein on the surface of the H5N1 avian influenza virus

Since it first emerged in 1996, H5N1 avian influenza (also known as "bird flu") has led to the death and culling of millions of birds across the globe
Visit PDB-101 for a look at the protein on the surface of the H5N1 avian influenza virus