The structure of enzymes determines how they control vital processes such as digestion or immune response. This is because the protein compounds are not rigid, but can change their shape through movable "hinges." The shape ...
Biochemistry
Apr 24, 2020
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33
In overgrown areas from Canada to China, a lush, woody vine with crescent-shaped seeds holds the secret to making a cancer-fighting chemical. Now, Whitehead Institute researchers in Member Jing-Ke Weng's lab have discovered ...
Biotechnology
Apr 20, 2020
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44
Researchers are taking snapshots of chemical reactions in a trillionth of a second in the hope of developing the next generation of antibiotics and anti-viral drugs.
Materials Science
Apr 13, 2020
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6
University of Groningen scientists have observed the characteristics of a single enzyme inside a nanopore. They learned that the enzyme can exist in four different folded states, or conformers, that play an active role in ...
Biochemistry
Apr 6, 2020
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27
Researchers have used cryo-electron microscopy to elucidate for the first time the structure and function of a very small enzyme embedded in cell membranes. This enzyme builds complex sugar trees that are subsequently attached ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 27, 2020
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105
Scientists at the University of Groningen turned a non-enzymatic protein into a new, artificial enzyme by adding two abiological catalytic components: an unnatural amino acid and a catalytic copper complex. This is the first ...
Biotechnology
Feb 10, 2020
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898
To disarm toxic substances, many organisms including humans possess enzymes called flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs). Despite their importance, the structure of the enzymes has not been resolved, as the protein is too ...
Evolution
Dec 23, 2019
0
133
The endangered Sunda pangolin, or "scaly anteater," is a widely trafficked mammal, prized in some cultures for its meat and scales. Little is known about these animals, and raising rescued pangolins is tricky. In the wild, ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 11, 2019
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4
As soon as you take medication, your body is already working on removing it from your body. According to UT Ph.D. student Robin Klem, encapsulins—a kind of hollow protein ball—have the potential to protect enzymes and ...
Bio & Medicine
Dec 9, 2019
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7
RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is present in the cells of all living beings and required to synthesize proteins. A research team at the University of California, Riverside, has discovered the structure of a novel RNA-modifying ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Nov 6, 2019
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