All Proteomics & Enzymology articles
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NewsHow a pathogen turns flowers into leaves
Scientists have found how a protein produced by bacteria disrupts the mechanism that controls flower development in plants, turning reproductive organs into leaf-like structures. These findings shed light on a plant disease that is expected to spread as climate change expands the range of its insect vectors in northern latitudes.
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NewsMolecular insight into biological nitrogen fixation close to the boiling point
Scientists have purified a nitrogen-fixing enzyme from a deep-sea microorganism that shows extreme heat-stability and is possibly of ancient origin. The molybdenum-containing enzyme has been captured in a “turnover” state, highlighting a universal mechanistic principle among nitrogenases.
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NewsGut bacterial enzyme worsens colitis by switching off a protective intestinal signal
Microbiome research often focuses on which microbes are present in the gut and what small molecules they produce. But gut bacteria also make enzymes that can act directly on molecules produced by the host. Researchers report that one such bacterial enzyme can weaken a protective intestinal signal and aggravate colitis in a preclinical model.
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NewsScientists break down shoe foam by genetically tweaking a microbe found in compost
Researchers have developed a new kind of enzyme based on a bacterium found in compost that can degrade the polyurethane material in shoe foams. The results could one day help recycle plastic waste from shoes, mattresses, kitchen sponges, and more.
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NewsUnder pressure: How a deep-sea protein adapts to an extreme environment
Researchers have uncovered a molecular strategy that enables a deep-sea protein to remain stable under extreme pressure. As pressure increases, the protein assembles into groups of three, called a trimeric structure, and stabilizes itself through a process known as oligomerization-mediated structural stabilization.
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NewsResearchers discover first PLP-dependent enzyme that influences bacterial protein production
Researchers discovered aminovaleramididine synthetase (AvaS), the first pyridoxal phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme involved in tRNA modification, expanding scientific understanding of how RNA shapes the reading of genetic information. The discovery reveals a previously unknown mechanism that bacteria use to regulate protein production.
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NewsStudy sheds light on how bacteria assemble outer membrane proteins
Researchers analyzed the various conformations that a chaperone protein adopts while delivering unfolded outer membrane proteins to the assembly machinery.
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NewsHow stressed cells put the brakes on protein shipping
A study in budding yeast suggests that changes in membrane lipids trigger a braking system that slows internal protein transport when the endoplasmic reticulum comes under stress.
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NewsWild tomatillos coat fruits with sticky chemical arsenal, study finds
For decades, research on plant chemical defenses has focused on glandular trichomes—the tiny hair‑like structures on leaves and stems that produce and secrete protective compounds. Acyl sugars, a class of specialized metabolites widespread in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), are known to deter insects and fungal pathogens when produced in leaf ...
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NewsGoniothalamin as a dual-target medicinal chemistry candidate against antibiotic-resistant bacteria
A new computational study has found that goniothalamin — a natural plant compound — binds tightly to two critical bacterial proteins in drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, suggesting it could form the basis of a new class of antibacterial agents.
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NewsA bacterial protein fragment drives tissue fibrosis, but antibody treatment can help
A bacterial protein fragment called corisin drives the process of pulmonary fibrosis by infiltrating and disrupting the cell’s quality-control system, researchers found in a new study. Meanwhile, blocking corisin with an antibody impeded the damage.
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NewsResearchers clear major obstacle in genetic engineering of proteins
An unexpected discovery about tRNAs leads to tool that can drive faster, safer production of new medicines.
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NewsA viral ‘loose cannon’ enzyme helps phages shut down bacterial defenses
Scientists have found how phages, viruses that infect bacteria, orchestrate an explosion of protein modifications inside host cells that helps them evade the bacteria’s immune systems.
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NewsAncient bacterial signals from cell powerhouses may fuel excessive inflammation
Researchers have discovered that proteins released from mitochondria can activate the immune system in a similar way to invading bacteria, suggesting that remnants of mitochondria’s evolutionary past may contribute to inflammation.
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NewsNew study shows how Toxoplasma parasite evolved to adapt to crowded conditions in host cells
How Toxoplasma reshapes its metabolism to keep growing under crowded conditions in a tissue cyst has been unclear. A new study identifies a parasite-specific protein that helps coordinate this response, allowing Toxoplasma to manage oxidative stress.
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NewsDecoding the gut microbiome’s symphony in health and disease
A new study shows that analysing what gut microbes are doing, rather than identifying which species are present may be more important for understanding intestinal inflammation.
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NewsResearchers discover a fungal protein that causes leaf loss in crops
A research team has succeeded in gaining insights into the genetic basis of “defoliation” caused by the pathogenic fungus Verticillium dahliae. A key protein they have identified is responsible for the aggressive nature of the fungus.
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NewsResearchers find evidence for two independent origins of life
Researchers retraced the origin of enzymes during life’s earliest divergence into bacteria and archaea, and found evidence for two independent origins of life for free-living cells.
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NewsDecoding the gut microbiome’s symphony in health and disease
Researchers have reported effective strategies for simultaneously measuring thousands of microbial and host proteins. They systematically compared five state-of-the-art mass spectrometry approaches using human fecal samples.
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NewsThe amino acid arginine helps the body fight tumors and viral infections
Scientists have discovered that an arginine-deficient diet impacts the immune system by stalling the production of the MHC-1 protein, which alerts the immune system to dangers such as a mutating cell or an invading virus.