Le 19 septembre 2025 à 14h30, l’Inserm donne le coup d’envoi officiel des travaux d’extension du Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS), au coeur du site de Navacelles à Montpellier. Signé par le cabinet ELEV, mandataire du groupement de maitrise d’oeuvre avec le BET Betso, Calder et C&G, le nouveau bâtiment de 1 000 m² s’inscrit dans l’écosystème MedVallée, pôle d’innovation en santé piloté par Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole. Il ouvrira ses portes en septembre 2027. Le projet comprend également la réhabilitation de 280 m² dans l’aile Est du bâtiment actuel. Cet agrandissement stratégique permettra au CBS de renforcer sa position de référence en biologie structurale, biophysique et biologie synthétique.

 

 

The correlation between synonymous codon usage and secondary structure in translated proteins has been widely demonstrated and plays a capital role in tuning translational rates and protein folding kinetics, indirectly influencing multiple biological processes. A recent report [A. A. Rosenberg, A. Marx, A. M. Bronstein, Nat. Commun. 13, 2815 (2022).] suggests that the translated synonymous codon influences the dihedral angles within secondary structure elements. If true, this result would have strong consequences in several scientific fields, including structural biology and protein design, where results would depend on DNA sequence rather than protein sequence. In this study, we show that the original statistical methodology used in the referred study was formally incorrect. Furthermore, when using a correct approach, we demonstrate that the influence of the codon on the distribution of the dihedral angles is not statistically significant for any type of secondary structure, reinforcing key assumptions in structural biology, protein design, and molecular evolution.

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2503264122

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.11.29.518303v3

 

CBS researchers are actively involved in organizing the 2nd ESAB (European South Atlantic Biophysics) conference, which will be held from June 17 to 19, 2026, at the Montpellier School of Chemistry. This scientific event is an initiative of the French, Spanish, and Portuguese biophysics societies and promotes international research in this constantly evolving field. It will be preceded by a day focused on young researchers at the Institute of Botanics on June 16, 2026.

Link: https://esab2026.cbs.cnrs.fr