Structural Biology News and Research

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Sensitive Analysis of Sugars with HPLC-Electrochemical Detection

An interview with Dr. Kristin Folmert, Application & Academy, KNAUER Wissenschaftliche Geräte GmbH.

From KNAUER Wissenschaftliche Geräte GmbH 23 Jan 2020

Biophysicists shed light on the structure, functioning mechanism of CysLT receptors

Biophysicists from the MIPT Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases have teamed up with colleagues from Canada, the U.S., Japan, France, and Germany to shed light on the structure and functioning mechanism of the CysLT receptors, which regulate inflammatory responses associated with allergic disorders.

21 Jan 2020

Researchers identify new mechanism associated with p53 mutation

More than half of cancer cases worldwide are associated with genetic mutations in p53, the protein responsible for protecting DNA from changes that can lead to cancer.

9 Jan 2020

Scientist earns prestigious award for research into cell suicide

Apoptosis is a form of “cell suicide”, where a cell self-terminates, ideally as planned or programmed, enabling multi-cellular organisms to continue to live, develop and thrive.

4 Dec 2019

DNA-modulated liquid droplets may explain how prion proteins clump

Researchers at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, have identified that the interaction between prion proteins and DNA may be behind the formation of protein amyloid aggregates and of the emergence of neurodegenerative diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and other spongiform encephalopathies.

22 Nov 2019

New technique enables the study of transporter proteins at a single-molecule level

Like a boat helping passengers cross a river, transporters move substances across cell membranes. This process is fundamental to the healthy functioning of cells in life forms from bacteria to humans.

14 Nov 2019

Scientists publish structural and functional keys that distinguish two similar transcription factors

Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, in collaboration with the Sloan Kettering Institute (New York, US), have published the structural and functional keys that distinguish two very similar transcription factors, namely SMAD2 and SMAD3.

12 Nov 2019

Study provides new insight into antibiotic synthesis

Researchers at McGill University's Faculty of Medicine have made important strides in understanding the functioning of enzymes that play an integral role in the production of antibiotics and other therapeutics. Their findings are published in Science.

11 Nov 2019

Using high-resolution X-ray analysis to solve structure of stress proteins from Staphylococcus

Project leader, Head of Structural Biology Lab Konstantin Usachev explains, One of the main factors favoring a microorganism's survival in extreme conditions is preserving ribosomes - a macromolecular complex comprising RNA and proteins.

6 Nov 2019

Properties of spider silk proteins could be selectively modified to synthesize novel biomaterials

Spider silk consists of fiber-forming proteins, stored by the spider in a specialized gland. When the spider needs silk, for instance to build a web, it extrudes the silk proteins through a long duct in which they are exposed to specific mechanical and chemical influences and assembled to form silk.

4 Nov 2019

RCSB Protein Data Bank at Rutgers receives $34.5 million funding

The RCSB Protein Data Bank headquartered at Rutgers University-New Brunswick has been awarded $34.5 million in grants over five years from three U.S. government agencies.

4 Nov 2019

Rilpivirine drug used for HIV treatment also suppresses Zika virus infection

Like an adjustable wrench that becomes the "go-to" tool because it is effective and can be used for a variety of purposes, an existing drug that can be adapted to halt the replication of different viruses would greatly expedite the treatment of different infectious diseases.

30 Oct 2019

Scientists solve first structure of human cotransporter protein KCC1

In work that could someday improve treatments for epilepsy, UT Southwestern scientists have published the first three-dimensional structure of a member of a large family of human proteins that carry charged particles – ions – across the cell membrane.

29 Oct 2019

Some types of proteins can stabilize damaged DNA

At the University of Copenhagen, researchers have discovered how some types of proteins stabilize damaged DNA and thereby preserve DNA function and integrity. This new finding also explains why people with inborn or acquired defects in certain proteins cannot keep their DNA stable and develop diseases such as cancer.

28 Oct 2019

SciLifeLab and AstraZeneca establish cryo-EM collaboration to advance biomedicine

The study published in Science Advances reveals the mechanism by which the receptor tyrosine kinase RET can increase neuronal survival in degenerative diseases. To understand the mechanism of this signaling complex, the researchers solved the cryo-EM structure of its extracellular region, employing a new approach for data collection.

21 Oct 2019

Understanding protein aggregation over time can help decipher early stages of Parkinson's

One of the biggest difficulties in treating Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is the understanding of when it starts.

11 Oct 2019

Structural biology reveals 3D structure of asthma-linked receptor

A new study has laid bare the structure of a protein receptor called the CysLT1 receptor that is implicated in a range of allergic and cardiovascular conditions as well as some types of cancer. Published in Science Advances, the paper shows how the researchers used structural biology techniques to accomplish this feat.

10 Oct 2019

Scientists uncover details of antibody response to Ebola virus vaccine

In the recurring, deadly Ebola outbreaks in parts of Africa, today's health workers now have at least some tools to fight the disease: vaccines. Vaccines against Ebola have been administered to over 100,000 people to date, but they are barely out of the experimental stage.

10 Oct 2019

Video images offer real-time view into the kinetics of viral assembly

For the first time, researchers have captured images of the formation of individual viruses, offering a real-time view into the kinetics of viral assembly. The research provides new insights into how to fight viruses and engineer self-assembling particles.

4 Oct 2019

Mount Sinai researchers discover how DNA polymerase delta duplicates the genome

Mount Sinai researchers have discovered how the enzyme DNA polymerase delta works to duplicate the genome that cells hand down from one generation to the next. In a study published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, the team also reported how certain mutations can modulate the activity of this enzyme, leading to cancers and other diseases.

3 Oct 2019