Title: Pushing the Sensitivity and Resolution Boundaries of Magnetic Resonance: Challenges and Opportunities for Chemistry, Molecular Biophysics, and Cellular Structural Biology
Abstract:
I will present our recent work on developing next-generation magnetic resonance methods for atomic-level characterization of large biological assemblies and proteins in their natural cellular milieus. I will demonstrate the power of integrating magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR with medium-resolution cryo-EM and data-driven MD simulations to gain comprehensive insights into the structure and dynamics of HIV-1 protein assemblies and connect these to function. I will introduce 19F dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced MAS NMR spectroscopy in protein assemblies and proteins in mammalian cells.
Bio:
Born in Bulgaria, Tatyana Polenova earned an undergraduate degree in Chemistry (1992) from Moscow State University (diploma with excellence). After receiving her PhD (1997) and completing her postdoctoral studies (1999) with Ann McDermott at Columbia University, she joined the faculty of the City University of New York – Hunter College in 1999. In 2003, she moved to the University of Delaware, where she became a Full Professor in 2011 and a C. Eugene Bennett Chair of Chemistry in 2024. She is a Fellow of ISMAR. She serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Magnetic Resonance (since 2020) and as Vice President of ISMAR. Her research focuses on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP). Polenova published 159 papers; further information about her research can be found at https://sites.udel.edu/polenova-group/.