Crystallography News and Research

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Characterizing the flexibility of SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern spike proteins

A novel protein modeling method assesses changes to the conformation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that have been encountered by mutation.

19 Sep 2021

New study reveals chemical steps in an important cellular modification process

The chemical steps in an important cellular modification process that adds a chemical tag to some RNAs have been revealed in a new study. Interfering with this process in humans can lead to neuronal diseases, diabetes, and cancers.

16 Sep 2021

New compounds offer a two-for-one punch to fight estrogen-sensitive breast cancer

A set of compounds developed by scientists at Scripps Research in Florida target estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells in new ways, potentially creating better options for patients with treatment-resistant cancers.

31 Aug 2021

Structure of BRCA2 protein complex critical for DNA repair solved

The initials BRCA2 may be best known for a gene associated with many cases of breast cancer, and the protein encoded by the BRCA2 gene is critical to repairing breaks in DNA.

13 Aug 2021

Novel imaging method shines new light on complex coordination molecules

Coordination compounds have molecular structures which consist of either one or multiple metal atoms at the center, surrounded by non-metal atoms.

10 Aug 2021

Existing drug may be effective in treating SARS-CoV-2

Scientists from the University of Chicago have found that the drug masitinib may be effective in treating COVID-19.

2 Aug 2021

Existing drug may be effective in treating COVID-19

A new University of Chicago study has found that the drug masitinib may be effective in treating COVID-19.

21 Jul 2021

Scientists seek to block pathogen’s most reliable weapon to cause severe malaria

The parasites that cause severe malaria are well-known for the sinister ways they infect humans, but new research may lead to drugs that could block one of their most reliable weapons: interference with the immune response.

21 Jul 2021

Scientists deconstruct the protein-based machine responsible for SARS-CoV-2 replication

In February 2020, a trio of bio-imaging experts were sitting amiably around a dinner table at a scientific conference in Washington, D.C., when the conversation shifted to what was then a worrying viral epidemic in China.

19 Jul 2021

New molecule extracted from the leaves of chestnut tree neutralizes staph bacteria

Scientists isolated a molecule, extracted from the leaves of the European chestnut tree, with the power to neutralize dangerous, drug-resistant staph bacteria. Frontiers in Pharmacology published the finding, led by scientists at Emory University.

28 Jun 2021

Researchers determine molecular structure of bacterial protein complex critical for tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is one of the top ten causes of death worldwide, infecting about one-quarter of the world's population. Although it is treatable, the rise of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis poses a major threat to global health security, and has been declared by the World Health Organization as a global health emergency.

25 Jun 2021

New computational technique greatly increases the resolution of atomic force microscopy

Scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine have developed a computational technique that greatly increases the resolution of atomic force microscopy, a specialized type of microscope that "feels" the atoms at a surface.

17 Jun 2021

A closer look at how COVID-19 damages human lungs

A recent study conducted at the United States Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory provides the first atomic-level detailed model of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) envelope protein when bound to human proteins within the lungs. The study was recently published in Nature Communications.

9 Jun 2021

New atomic-level model helps explain how SARS-CoV-2 causes extensive lung damage

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have published the first detailed atomic-level model of the SARS-CoV-2 "envelope" protein bound to a human protein essential for maintaining the lining of the lungs.

8 Jun 2021

New study will help design better antibodies for potential treatments

Scientists are harnessing hard X-rays in the fight against cancer. A team of researchers, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, has used ultrabright X-ray light to determine how specific types of antibodies can tell the difference between different forms of a cancer-linked molecule.

3 Jun 2021

Researchers find natural metabolites help SARS-CoV-2 escape antibodies

An international team of scientists has identified a human molecule — biliverdin — as a potential severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) target. The binding of the heme metabolite to the N-terminal domain of SARS-CoV-2 is associated with the virus’s ability to dodge the immune system by suppressing antibody binding to the spike protein.

2 Jun 2021

A SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody with extensive spike binding coverage

In a recently published research paper in the journal Nature Communications, a team of scientists from China has described the antiviral efficacy of a novel anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody isolated from recovered coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.

17 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 main protease conformations are temperature-dependent

New research led by Daniel A Keedy of City University of New York, USA, shows the structure of the main protease (Mpro) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the causative pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – reacts to being heated and cooled. The temperature-dependent conformations could act as potential therapeutic targets to neutralize the virus.

9 May 2021

SARS-CoV-2 recruits heme metabolites in antibody evasion

A research paper recently published in the journal Science Advances by Cherepanov et al. (April 22nd, 2021) demonstrated that the NTD binds to biliverdin, a product of heme catabolism, leading to enhanced antibody escape at physiologically relevant concentrations.

28 Apr 2021

Study identifies mechanism behind SARS-CoV-2 viral protein production

A new study from German researchers examines how SARS viruses, including the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), hijack cells and reprogram them to enhance viral replication.

27 Apr 2021