Most drugs operate via the membranes that surround the body's cells. A study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has now mapped the structure and mechanism of MGST2, a membrane enzyme that, amongst other things, ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Mar 19, 2021
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16
S-acylation is the process of chemically linking a lipid to protein via a thioester bond. It is an important process of the cell that regulates the localization and function of numerous proteins. It promotes lipid membrane ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 11, 2021
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41
Reflectins, the unique structural proteins that give squids and octopuses the ability to change colors and blend in with their surroundings, are thought to have great potential for innovations in areas as diverse as electronics, ...
Biochemistry
Dec 18, 2020
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29
Swelling is one of the most dangerous and immediate consequences of a brain injury or stroke. Doctors have long known about the dangers of swelling, which has traditionally been blamed on ruptured blood vessels. New research ...
Soft Matter
Nov 24, 2020
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22
The virus wreaking havoc on our lives is an efficient infection machine. Comprised of only 29 proteins (compared to our 400,000), with a genome 1/200,000 the size of ours, SARS-CoV-2 is expertly evolved to trick our cells ...
Biochemistry
Oct 21, 2020
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265
A study lead by SciLifeLab Fellow Simon Elsässer elucidates the mechanism of a peculiar type of heterochromatin, used by embryonic stem cells to silence 'parasitic' DNA-elements within the context of their highly dynamic ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 9, 2020
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8
Researchers have revealed a new molecular mechanism by which bacteria adhere to cellulose fibers in the human gut. Thanks to two different binding modes, they can withstand the shear forces in the body. Scientists of the ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 28, 2020
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362
A new study led by researchers at Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), Nara, Japan, published in Science Advances, reports the crystal structure of YeeE, a membrane protein that allows bacteria to uptake thiosulfate ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 26, 2020
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89
At the start of a COVID-19 infection, the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 docks onto human cells using the spike-like proteins on its surface. The spike protein is at the centre of vaccine development because it triggers an immune ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 18, 2020
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386
A research team led by Daniel Lietha has just published in The EMBO Journal the mechanistic details of the activation of the focal adhesion kinase (FAK) on lipid membranes. Lietha started this research during his work at ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 11, 2020
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