Pleasure to welcome Patrick Cramer to SMART and to present our research and discuss future directions. Cooperation between Max Planck Society @maxplanck.de and institutions in Shenzhen is expanding and will open new opportunities. As Patrick concluded in German, “Jedem Anfang wohnt ein Zauber inne”.
At a time when centralised public scientific services cannot always be taken for granted, new efforts of this kind are worth paying attention to as part of a broader discussion about resilience, continuity and future development in open science infrastructure langtaosha.org.cn/lts/en/about
So, overall, it will incorporate new technologies, and provide long term support and timely response to the growing needs of the international research community for science exchange 3/4
Langtaosha is not intended as another preprint server, but as platform that could develop across broad part of the research lifecycle including protocols, negative results, open commenting and AI-assisted review. The idea is to contribute to stable and transparent ecosystem for research exchange 2/4
Since our preprint on the ETC-ATP synthase supercomplex has attracted attention, I would like to introduce the platform we used, Langtaosha. It was launched by SMART together with several other institutions with support from Open Life Science Alliance, aiming for long-term open infrastructure 1/4
Happy to contribute to this fantastic collaboration. Bravo to students Mengchen Wu @mengchenwu.bsky.social and Yiqi Hu @huyiqi.bsky.social for leading these projects. Huge thanks to Yue Liu and his lab for tomo and all the collaborators!
High-res cryo-EM structures of different pieces from such long-range array in Leishmania provide details of the interfaces involved. The findings validate the single particle prequel and shed light on the divergent bioenergetic and cristae shaping strategies employed by different discobids. 3/4
In situ, the ETC–ATP synthase supercomplexes sit at both ends of ATP synthase rows. Units of (CIICIV2CV)(CV2)4(CIICIV2CV) are formed to tile the discoidal crista rim with defined register. With the help of cryo-ET and STA, molecular interactions scale up into a repeating membrane architecture. 2/4
In a followup with @longzhou88.bsky.social and Yue Liu we move from molecular mechanism to membrane architecture. A giant ETC-ATP synthase assembly containing 10 ATP synthases and 6 respiratory complexes builds long-range periodic OXPHOS arrays on native cristae langtaosha.org.cn/lts/en/prepr... 1/4
Conceptually, this work extends Mitchell’s chemiosmotic theory. Beyond establishing proton motive force, oxidative phosphorylation depends on the geometry of the hosting membrane and the supramolecular organization that make the proton circuit optimal 6/6
Evolutionary analysis by Martijn Huynen further suggests that this architecture emerged in lineages where canonical complex I was lost or extensively modified, pointing to a new solution for spatial organization of oxidative phosphorylation 5/6
Biochemical, functional, and EM analyses by the Ondřej Gahura and Hassan Hashimi labs showed that disrupting the unique g′/g″ module selectively destabilizes the supercomplex, reshapes mitochondrial cristae, and lowers maximal membrane polarization capacity 4/6
Atomistic simulations by Vivek Sharma, showed induction of a shallow positive membrane curvature. By contrast, CIICIV₂ assembly lacking ATP synthase relaxed toward a flatter membrane conformation, suggesting that stable curvature is specifically sustained by incorporation of ATP synthase 3/6
CryoEM revealed 2MDa respiratory chain-ATP synthase supercomplex, organized around ATP synthase monomer together with complex II, dimer of complex IV
A key organizing principle is a non-canonical subunit g′/g″ module repurposing ATP synthase dimerization interface to couple the respiratory chain 2/6
65 years after Peter Mitchell’s chemiosmotic theory, we report an association between ATP synthase and the electron transport chain. In the preprint led by @longzhou88.bsky.social, we describe a large supercomplex and show how the supramolecular organization contribute to oxidative phosphorylation 🧵
Catching the early morning low tide in Aguda on Portugal’s Atlantic coast with colleagues from Universidade de Aveiro, collecting local species for analysis. Pure curiosity and passion for science!
Hiking with Kai Zhang and lab colleagues above the clouds. A nice retreat to conclude a busy week
illuminated LED kites. In Shenzhen, evening kite flying is a common park activity for kids. The kites fitted with small lamps so they can be flown after dark.
After watching a beautiful sunset from the 117th floor of Ping An Centre, we went for chamber music at Shenzhen Concert Hall featuring Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. The majority of the audience were in their 20s and 30s, even kids. Refreshing to see young people embracing classical music in Shenzhen.
Happy International Women’s Day, everyone! Thank you for your creativity, empathy, and resilience you bring every day. Keep pursuing your passions, exploring your hobbies, and discovering your new talents!
On International Women’s Day 2026, China honoured 9 women for outstanding achievements, including our colleague Nieng Yan. The recognition reflects her scientific excellence and leadership as the founding president of SMART, Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research & Translation. Congratulations Nieng!
you're right. The claim ultimately needs tests in the methylation machinery.
Epigenetics twist in watermelon: ripening is accompanied by genome-wide DNA hypermethylation,mostly non-CG. In cultivated fruit 11,961 genes gain methylation. Epigenetic program tied to domestication. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Information theory meets archaeology. Ice Age notches weren’t just decoration, and early humans may have been recording information that way. A very interesting attempt to trace the evolution of signs. Looks like we were building data storage systems already 40,000 years ago.
Happy Lunar New Year from Huawei RD campus! May the Year of the Horse be filled with bright moments and positive energy, bring speed toward goals and strength for the journey ahead. Happy celebrations to everyone celebrating!
Sunday reset: nature and good company. Yangtai mountain park in heart of Shenzhen with clear spring water, lakes and evergreen forest. Great to spend the day with Shujia Zhu who recently moved her lab to Shenzhen. Back to work full of energy.
Wei Yang joins SMART after a postdoc with David Baker @uwproteindesign.bsky.social. He designs next generation binders for immune checkpoint receptors. At SMART, Wei's team will integrate algorithm development with high-throughput experimental validation to deliver selective protein therapeutics.
A delegation of German academic leadership and council visited Shenzhen labs. Strong interest in concrete collaborations @unibonn.bsky.social @unileipzig.bsky.social @uniheidelberg.bsky.social
@uni-freiburg.de @unituebingen.bsky.social
@lmu.de @unistuttgart.bsky.social @kit.edu
@tuda.bsky.social
Neuroscientist Arthur Konnerth from TUM launches a brain research lab in Shenzhen
Come visit and enjoy the weather and the local SMART cafe speciality '-86C dirty'
