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Online Structure Request System

| Sesame Website | How to Start Jar | Fields in Target Record |

NOTICE: As of December 11, 2009, CESG is not currently accepting additional requests due to time constraints. With continued support, in July 2010 our team will continue to investigate interesting protein structures. Please check back at that time to learn if we are accepting new requests in these areas. We will be focusing on one or more of the following areas:

  • Membrane proteins
  • Mitochondrial proteins
  • Enzymes involved in natural product (e.g., antibiotics) synthesis

At this time you are invited to visit the PSI Structural Genomics Knowledgebase and propose a PSI Community Nominated Target.

CESG welcomes outside requests from the scientific community to work on specific proteins via the Sesame (LIMS) online request system. However, for suggested targets, keep in mind:

  • All accepted request targets must meet PSI and CESG objectives, which are presently focused on human and animal proteins, and selection criteria.
  • Progress on all CESG targets is reported frequently on public databases.
  • Work on a specific target by CESG explicitly implies CESG authorship of the structure.
  • Cloned Open Reading Frames (ORFs) or purified protein must be supplied by the researcher.

Objectives. CESG focuses on technology development to improve success rates and lower the cost of structure determination of eukaryotic proteins, especially human proteins related to disease or cell differentiation and proteins from families represented only in eukaryotes. Targets are chosen to expand knowledge of sequence-structure relationships (60%), to include proteins of biomedical relevance (20%), and to accommodate requests from the scientific community (20%).

Qualifications. While we intend to accept as many requests as possible, keep firmly in mind that the NIH-derived mandates mentioned above may take precedence over even the most convincing evidence of biological significance. All requests will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis, and assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Publication Policy. [Important Disclaimer -- Please Read Carefully] By submitting a request to CESG, the researchers submitting the request are entering into a scientific collaboration with the Center. CESG is bound by NIH mandates to rapidly make all information generated by the Center part of the public domain. As such, CESG must retain the right to publish, in text or on the Internet, information about all targets currently in the CESG pipeline and all solved structures. CESG welcomes external participation on publications and will be pleased to include as coauthors persons who have provided noteworthy intellectual input in areas such as evaluating the significance and context or functional implications of the structure. However, simply submitting a request will not be deemed sufficient grounds for co-authorship.

Expectations. CESG will endeavor to make a rapid decision whether to accept a submitted target. CESG will also make it possible for the submitter to follow the course of the target through the pipeline. Bear in mind that the overall success rate at CESG is on the order of only 5% and that a structure may take anywhere from six months to more than a year to complete. Success rates can be improved by supplying multiple constructs of a given target, and, for targets deemed of high interest, this may be a worthwhile approach to pursue.

E. coli Versus Wheat Germ Cell-Free Protein Production. The choice of expression in E. coli in vivo or by wheat germ cell-free, or both, is usually made by CESG, and generally both methods are tried. If you have a preference, indicate this in the Abstract of the Target Request record. Keep in mind that all ORFs will be subcloned into CESG's expression vectors, therefore E. coli in vivo expression at CESG may succeed even if it did not work in other expression vectors.

How To Nominate A Target. To suggest a specific target to be worked upon by the Center, you need to submit your target request via the Jar module of Sesame. (NOTE: If you are going to submit more than seven targets, FIRST send an email to cesgoutsiderequest@biochem.wisc.edu to be sure we can handle your type of request before you spend a good deal of time entering them into the online system.)

Features of CESG's Online Request System

  • Utilizes Sesame, the Laboratory Information Management System used by CESG.
  • Written in Java 2 and is web-based.
  • Minimum computer requirements are: 800 X 600 pixels and 256-color resolution.
  • Save partial Target Request records and return to them later or delete.
  • Easily make multiple requests by changing a previous request and then choosing "Save As New".
  • Receive automatic emails when milestones are achieved, e.g., Cloned, Expressed, Purified, Structure Solved.
  • Setup an alternate contact who will also receive emails automatically.
  • Receive a personal email when target is accepted or rejected, or work is stopped.
  • Check status of requests at any time.
  • Delete a request at any time until it is submitted.

Instructions for Starting the Jar Module of Sesame and Filling In a Target Request Record.

Due to the high-throughput nature of the project, targets that fail at any given stage may not be given special attention. Researchers who feel strongly that solving a given structure is critical to their research are encouraged to explore the option of providing purified protein to the Center for immediate entry into the structure determination step.

If you are notified that your request has been accepted, you will then send cloned cDNA or protein to:

  Dave Aceti
  Center for Eukaryotic Structural Genomics
  Department of Biochemistry
  University of Wisconsin-Madison
  Department of Biochemistry
  445 Henry Mall
  Madison, WI 53706
  Telephone: 608.890.0491
  Email: acetidav@nmrfam.wisc.edu

If you have any questions about a target request at any time, send an email to:

   cesgoutsiderequest@biochem.wisc.edu