All Structural Biology articles
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NewsEven ancient bacteria possessed intercellular communication structures like humans today
Communication between cells in plants, animals and humans takes place via specialised connecting structures. Researchers have discovered how the regulation of very similar structures was already present in multicellular bacteria.
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NewsNew water freeze-drying sample preparation method allows for the capture of a near-native ultrastructure of bacteria
A collaborative research team has successfully applied Water Freeze-Drying method to bacterial specimens, allowing them to capture the ultrastructure of bacteria in near-native form via scanning electron microscopy.
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NewsLab identifies gap in malaria vaccines, added peptides can strengthen response
The two vaccines in use today rally the immune system against a single region of the malaria parasite. A new study finds that adding short peptides for two overlooked regions broadens the response and strengthens protection.
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NewsDo human noroviruses also switch their shape?
Researchers investigating whether human norovirus undergoes conformational changes in response to environmental condition successfully produced virus-like particles (VLPs) of the human norovirus GII.3 strain and determined their structures.
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NewsNew antibiotic mechanism triggers hope for new treatments in fight against resistance
A team studied the bacterium Coxiella burnetii to investigate why it is so sensitive to doxycycline. They found antibiotic molecules stack upon each other to block the ribosome exit channel, revealing a new mechanism for how doxycycline disarms the bacterium.
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NewsHow the encephalomyocarditis virus hijacks host protein machinery
Researchers have used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to decode how the encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) IRES hijacks the host’s protein synthesis machinery.
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NewsHow the most widespread parasite on earth reads its genome
Researchers have uncovered new details about how Toxoplasma controls the timing of protein production, ensuring the right molecular tools are available exactly when they are needed. Two protein complexes manage this process.
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NewsNew approaches against fungal infections discovered
Researchers have used state-of-the-art cryo-electron microscopy to decode the structure of a key fungal transporter - the UapA transporter of the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans.
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NewsBiologists uncover a molecular mechanism that helps bacteria spread antibiotic resistance genes
A new study reveals the molecular mechanism behind one of the most powerful mechanical actions in all of biology, the reeling in of tiny surface fibers called type IV pili.
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NewsScientists solve decades-old mystery of how malaria parasites invade human cells
Researchers have caught the malaria parasite’s moving junction in the act, obtainingg the first high-resolution view of its three-dimensional structure. It turns out to be a molecular machine that actively remodels the host cell’s membrane to help the parasite force its way inside.
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NewsScientists probe how proteins are inserted into cell membranes
Researchers looking at the cell membrane investigate how the proteins manufactured by the ribosomes in the cell interior reach their position within the membrane in the correct form and when the processes became established over the course of evolution.
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NewsCryo-EM helps identify the mechanisms of dental plaque formation
Researchers used cryo-electron microscopy to provide new insights into how Porphyromonas gingivalis causes plaque formation, revealing the 3D structure of Mfa pili, an arm-like filament which enables the bacteria to stick to host tissues and other microbes.
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NewsExtreme adaptation helps Dead Sea single-celled organisms to swim
Researchers have described in detail a structural adaptation supporting one of the Dead Sea’s few hardy inhabitants — a single-celled archaea called Haloarcula marismortui (H. marismortui). They characterized the proteins that form the archaeal filament, a long tail-like structure essential for movement.
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NewsRecent study reveals how bacteria capture a rare type of sugar molecule
Researchers have identified a novel transport protein that binds cyclic β-1,2-glucans, revealing unexpected diversity in bacterial sugar uptake mechanisms.
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NewsScientists determine how mysterious acids give bacteria their shape
Researchers have discovered how acids on the surface of bacteria give these microscopic organisms their characteristic “rod” shape—by keeping an enzyme at bay that would otherwise turn the cylindrical cells into shape-shifting blobs.
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NewsMolecular net boosts the power of natural biopesticides
Scientists have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that helps a widely used biological pesticide become more effective. The study reveals how bacteria produce ultra-strong protein fibers that form a molecular net, trapping infectious spores and toxins into a sticky film that enhances their ability to kill insect pests.
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NewsAI and supercomputer simulations reveal how a bacterial energy-converting enzyme pumps sodium ions
The Na+-NQR enzyme is vital for energy production in pathogenic bacteria, making it a highly promising target for new antibiotics. Researchers combined modified artificial intelligence techniques with extensive supercomputer simulations to visualize the hidden, dynamic movements of this enzyme during sodium transport.
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NewsHow soil bacteria help plants defend themselves against disease
A study reveals the mechanism by which surfactin, a molecule produced by beneficial soil bacteria, activates plants’ immune defences. This mechanism, distinct from the classical paradigm of immune recognition, relies on direct interaction with the plant cell membrane.
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NewsScientists discover how gut bacteria toxin invades colon cells to trigger cancer
A common gut bacterium, Bacteroides fragilis, drives colon tumor formation, potentially leading to colorectal cancer, by secreting a toxin that damages the lining of the colon. Researchers have now shown that the B. fragilis toxin BFT must first bind host receptor claudin-4 before it can cause damage.
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News‘Atomic snapshots’ of proofreading enzyme could lead to better COVID-19 drugs
A research team used images generated by a cryogenic electron microscope (cryo-EM) to observe the interplay between SARS-CoV-2 proofreading enzyme exoribonuclease (ExoN) and RNA incorporated with antivirals such as remdesivir, sofosbuvir and bemnifosbuvir.