Scientists have determined the three-dimensional structure of a complete, unmodified G-protein-coupled receptor in its native environment: embedded in a membrane in physiological conditions.
Biochemistry
Oct 22, 2012
0
0
Chemists at the California Institute of Technology have managed, for the first time, to simulate the biological function of a channel called the Sec translocon, which allows specific proteins to pass through membranes. The ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 18, 2012
0
0
(Phys.org)—Researchers at Penn State University have developed a chemical model that mimics a possible step in the formation of cellular life on Earth four-billion years ago. Using large "macromolecules" called polymers, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 14, 2012
1
0
(Phys.org)—Polyamines are widespread and important organic compounds involved in multiple cellular processes in living organisms. Their levels are highly regulated through a combination of processes including synthesis, ...
Biotechnology
Aug 24, 2012
0
0
(Phys.org) -- A long-standing mystery in cell biology may be closer to a solution thanks to measurements taken at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and France's Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), where ...
General Physics
Aug 9, 2012
2
0
(Phys.org) -- Like quality-control managers in factories, bacteria possess built-in machinery that track the shape and quality of proteins trying to pass through their cytoplasmic membranes, Cornell biomolecular engineers ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 3, 2012
0
0
During the final stage of cell division, a short-lived contractile ring constricts the cellular membrane and eventually separates the dividing cell in two. Although this "molecular muscle's" composition, mainly actin and ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 11, 2012
1
0
A collaboration between Lehigh University physicists and University of Miami biologists addresses an important fundamental question in basic cell biology: How do living cells figure out when and where to grow?
Cell & Microbiology
May 18, 2012
0
0
At the heart of the immune system that protects our bodies from disease and foreign invaders is a vast and complex communications network involving millions of cells, sending and receiving chemical signals that can mean life ...
Nanophysics
Mar 23, 2012
0
0
Phospholipids are the main constituents of the cellular membranes in all organisms, ranging from single-celled archaea to highly complex plants and mammals. According to conventional wisdom, the chemical backbone of phospholipids ...
Biochemistry
Mar 23, 2012
0
0
