Molecular docking site of a bacterial toxin identified

Clostridium difficile is a dangerous intestinal bacterium that can cause severe diarrhoea and life-threatening intestinal infections after long-term treatment with antibiotics. The pharmacologists and toxicologists Prof. ...

Arabidopsis uses molecular decoy to trick pathogens

In the animal kingdom, predators use a full range of strategies, such as camouflage, speed and optical illusions, to catch their prey. Meanwhile, prey species resort to the same tactics to escape from their predators. Such ...

New degradation proteins show route to cell survival

Studies by researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology and colleagues reveal two proteins that induce degradation of certain cell constituents to help cell survival under nutrient-limiting conditions.

How to reset a diseased cell

In proof-of-concept experiments, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine demonstrate the ability to tune medically relevant cell behaviors by manipulating a key hub in cell communication networks. ...

X-ray study may aid in designing better blood pressure drugs

An experiment at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has revealed in atomic detail how a hypertension drug binds to a cellular receptor that plays a key role in regulating blood pressure. The results ...

Coral snake venom reveals a unique route to lethality

For more than a decade, a vial of rare snake venom refused to give up its secret formula for lethality; its toxins had no effect on the proteins that most venoms target. Finally, an international team of researchers figured ...

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