All Structural Biology articles
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NewsHow a single viral protein hijacks immune cells to supercharge COVID-19 infection
A new discovery reveals how a SARS-CoV-2 protein reprograms immune cells to accelerate viral spread—and points to a new strategy for therapeutic intervention.
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NewsTwo coronavirus master keys: new study unveils the mechanisms Covid-19 virus uses to enter our cells
To enter our cells, the Covid-19 virus fuses its surrounding membrane with the membrane of the target cell. The fusion peptides of the spike protein function as molecular keys that allow the virus to open the door to the target cell . A new study shows that SARS-CoV-2 does not have just one key, but two.
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NewsNew method reveals how virus particles can build themselves, molecule by molecule
Researchers have captured the step-by-step assembly of individual virus-like particles, revealing how simple molecular interactions can reliably build these complex biological structures. The process works rather like finding a route through a maze in which only the productive turns lock into place.
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NewsToxic tail: Biologists find a hidden weak spot in how bacteria build the tails they use to move
New research has uncovered a previously unknown vulnerability in how bacteria build the whip-like tails they use to move. Building these tails can put stress on the protective wall surrounding a bacterial cell, and uncovered systems bacteria use to keep that stress from becoming destructive.
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NewsBacteria can make testosterone. What could that mean for prostate cancer?
Scientists have identified an unexpected participant in androgen chemistry: a bacterium from the human urinary tract that can convert the steroid precursor DHEA into testosterone under laboratory conditions. It reveals a previously unknown microbial route to a hormone that is central to prostate biology.
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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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NewsEven ancient bacteria possessed intercellular communication structures like humans today
Communication between cells in plants, animals and humans takes place via specialised connecting structures. Researchers have discovered how the regulation of very similar structures was already present in multicellular bacteria.
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NewsNew water freeze-drying sample preparation method allows for the capture of a near-native ultrastructure of bacteria
A collaborative research team has successfully applied Water Freeze-Drying method to bacterial specimens, allowing them to capture the ultrastructure of bacteria in near-native form via scanning electron microscopy.
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NewsLab identifies gap in malaria vaccines, added peptides can strengthen response
The two vaccines in use today rally the immune system against a single region of the malaria parasite. A new study finds that adding short peptides for two overlooked regions broadens the response and strengthens protection.
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NewsDo human noroviruses also switch their shape?
Researchers investigating whether human norovirus undergoes conformational changes in response to environmental condition successfully produced virus-like particles (VLPs) of the human norovirus GII.3 strain and determined their structures.
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NewsNew antibiotic mechanism triggers hope for new treatments in fight against resistance
A team studied the bacterium Coxiella burnetii to investigate why it is so sensitive to doxycycline. They found antibiotic molecules stack upon each other to block the ribosome exit channel, revealing a new mechanism for how doxycycline disarms the bacterium.
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NewsHow the encephalomyocarditis virus hijacks host protein machinery
Researchers have used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to decode how the encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) IRES hijacks the host’s protein synthesis machinery.
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NewsHow the most widespread parasite on earth reads its genome
Researchers have uncovered new details about how Toxoplasma controls the timing of protein production, ensuring the right molecular tools are available exactly when they are needed. Two protein complexes manage this process.
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NewsNew approaches against fungal infections discovered
Researchers have used state-of-the-art cryo-electron microscopy to decode the structure of a key fungal transporter - the UapA transporter of the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans.
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NewsBiologists uncover a molecular mechanism that helps bacteria spread antibiotic resistance genes
A new study reveals the molecular mechanism behind one of the most powerful mechanical actions in all of biology, the reeling in of tiny surface fibers called type IV pili.
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NewsScientists solve decades-old mystery of how malaria parasites invade human cells
Researchers have caught the malaria parasite’s moving junction in the act, obtainingg the first high-resolution view of its three-dimensional structure. It turns out to be a molecular machine that actively remodels the host cell’s membrane to help the parasite force its way inside.
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NewsScientists probe how proteins are inserted into cell membranes
Researchers looking at the cell membrane investigate how the proteins manufactured by the ribosomes in the cell interior reach their position within the membrane in the correct form and when the processes became established over the course of evolution.
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NewsCryo-EM helps identify the mechanisms of dental plaque formation
Researchers used cryo-electron microscopy to provide new insights into how Porphyromonas gingivalis causes plaque formation, revealing the 3D structure of Mfa pili, an arm-like filament which enables the bacteria to stick to host tissues and other microbes.
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NewsExtreme adaptation helps Dead Sea single-celled organisms to swim
Researchers have described in detail a structural adaptation supporting one of the Dead Sea’s few hardy inhabitants — a single-celled archaea called Haloarcula marismortui (H. marismortui). They characterized the proteins that form the archaeal filament, a long tail-like structure essential for movement.
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NewsRecent study reveals how bacteria capture a rare type of sugar molecule
Researchers have identified a novel transport protein that binds cyclic β-1,2-glucans, revealing unexpected diversity in bacterial sugar uptake mechanisms.