Beata Turonova, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Laboratory of Dr. Martin Beck, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt & Mateusz Sikora, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Laboratory of Dr. Gerhard Hummer, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt, "In situ structural analysis of SARS-CoV-2 spike reveals flexibility mediated by three hinges"
Dr. Turonova and Dr. Sikora presented their findings of their research on the SARS-CoV-2 S-protein. By employing the method of cryo electron tomography and taking multiple samples of the virion from different angles they were able to analyse the full 3D structure of the S-protein and not only the surface head. In addition to finding two different virus configurations, a closed and an open one, as well as identify three joints in the protein which give it flexibility instead of the thought rigid structure.
