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Discovery of chiral evasion could lead to more resilient inhibitors, better drug designs

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterial infection that has become resistant to most of the antibiotics used to treat regular staph infections.

18 Feb 2022

Researchers successfully isolate a new, rare bacterial strain

Certain types of bacteria are unable to survive and thrive outside host organisms. This makes their isolation and identification technically challenging.

From Tokyo University of Science 18 Feb 2022

3D structure of protein channel helps shed light on sensitive touch response of Venus fly traps

Scientists at Scripps Research have revealed the three-dimensional structure of Flycatcher1, an aptly named protein channel that may enable Venus fly trap plants to snap shut in response to prey.

18 Feb 2022

Cryo-electron microscopy reveals structures of a muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptor

New research co-led by a University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine professor is shedding light on some of the mysterious dynamics that define the interplay between nerves and muscle.

17 Feb 2022

Scientists uncover novel information about the tiny propellers used by archaea

Archaea, like bacteria, may be found in a wide range of environments, including inside human bodies, although they are not known to cause illness.

From University of Exeter 14 Feb 2022

Novel function of anti-HIV-1 antibodies discovered using robust microscopy techniques

Using cutting-edge imaging methods on in vitro virus cells, researchers from the Institut Pasteur, CNRS, VRI, and Université de Paris found a role of anti-HIV-1 antibodies.

From Institut Pasteur 14 Feb 2022

Researchers gain detailed insight into the mechanism of a light-driven chloride pump

Many bacteria and unicellular algae have light-driven pumps in their cell membranes: proteins that change shape when exposed to photons such that they can transport charged atoms in or out of the cell.

4 Feb 2022

Microorganisms “breathe” rocks through extracellular electron transfer, says study

Microbes may be tiny, yet they have a significant influence on the Earth’s habitability.

4 Feb 2022

First 3D structure of regulator protein elucidated in almost atomic resolution

Proteins are indispensable components in living organisms. They are not only "building material" for the body – they also make molecular communication between cells possible, they are needed for nerve impulses to occur, and they control chemical reactions.

3 Feb 2022

Scientists visualize protein machinery of respiration with unparalleled precision

Oxygen and sugar are the basis of life for animals, plants, fungi and many bacteria. The metabolic process called respiration makes it possible to convert food into energy for the cells.

1 Feb 2022

Experts unravel a new form of communication between brain cells

Scientists discovered hundreds of proteins that are constantly transferred throughout the healthy brain in small membrane-enclosed sacs.

31 Jan 2022

Structural proteomics approaches show promise for treating neurodegenerative diseases

Two researchers from Skoltech and McGill University have published a review of the promising research field known as structural proteomics in the influential journal Chemical Reviews.

28 Jan 2022

Researchers use cryo-EM to rapidly characterize antibodies at atomic level

Scripps Research scientists have found a mechanism that may be able to bypass one of the critical steps in current vaccine production.

24 Jan 2022

New gene determines whether ultraviolet iridescence shows up in butterfly wings

A team of researchers at the George Washington University has identified a gene that determines whether ultraviolet iridescence shows up in the wings of butterflies.

11 Jan 2022

Cryo-ET reveals mechanisms underlying gene mutations that lead to blindness

Researchers have discovered the structural determinants of the highly specialized rod outer segments membrane architecture of the eye, which plays a crucial role in vision.

7 Jan 2022

A highly effective protection against oxidative stress developed by present-day humans

Very few proteins in the body have a change that makes them unique compared to the corresponding proteins in Neanderthals and apes. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany and Karolinska Institute in Sweden have now studied one such protein, glutathione reductase, which protects against oxidative stress.

From The Max Planck Institute 6 Jan 2022

Scientists shed light on mechanisms responsible for maturation of the splicing machinery

Alternative Splicing is an extraordinarily complex process that requires the coordinated action of multiple proteins, each specialized in very specific functions. These proteins are assembled and matured, forming a kind of consortium of proteins that perform these gene reading functions.

31 Dec 2021

Researchers grow intestinal organoids to study why bats infected with viruses do not succumb to diseases

Experiments attempting to explain why bats can be infected with many viruses at a time without succumbing to diseases such as COVID-19-;knowledge that could help us to reduce the threat to humans of infectious disease-;have struggled until now with the fact that live wild bats make poor research subjects.

30 Dec 2021

"Heavy" hydrogen makes drugs to have a longer effect

Hydrogen (abbreviated "H") is the lightest of all elements. It usually consists only of a positively charged proton and a negatively charged electron and is also called protium in this form. But there are also two heavier hydrogen isotopes, deuterium and tritium.

24 Dec 2021

Study identifies novel function for existing protein

Researchers recently identified a new role of the protein tBID, which was to date linked to the regulatory role in cancer and cell death. But tBID also directly mediates apoptosis (controlled cell death).

23 Dec 2021