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Slow Bee Paralysis Virus
The work of bees in pollinating our crops is as vital now as it has been for centuries, but bees are having a hard time at the moment for a variety of reasons, including viral diseases. Recent structures of a bee virus show novel features that might contribute to its infectivity. |
Structure of Zika Virus Revealed
The Zika virus has been linked to microcephaly and other neurological damage in foetuses. |
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You've got the Christmas Factor
There’s an enzyme in humans, called Christmas Factor. It isn’t responsible for filling us with festive cheer, but is one of the enzymes responsible for blood clotting. |
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Solanezumab. An anti-Alzheimer's antibody
The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. Recent data from the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly claims that the monoclonal antibody Solanezumab can slow the rate of the disease’s progression. |
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Turning a hormone into a weapon
Structures of a venom peptide from distantly related arthropods have revealed the origin of such peptide toxins. The protein from a spider, Tegenaria agrestis, and that from a centipede, Scolopendra mutilans show very similar 3D folds despite having only around 22% sequence identity. |
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New letters in the genetic code
Adding extra letters to the genetic code, in the form of non-natural nucleotides, makes it possible to encode 'exotic' amino acids in new codon triplets. |
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The more you bind, the less you need
The immune system is expert at identifying infected cells and destroying them. It can do this because molecules called the Major Histocompatibilty Complex (MHC) bind short peptides from the infecting virus or bacterium and display them on the cell's surface. |
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It takes two. HindIII needs two manganese ions at the active site.
PDB entries 3wvg, 3wvh, 3wvi, 3wvk and 3wvp |
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Mupain: Better binding with higher entropy
PDB entry: 4x1q The structure of a cyclic peptide, mupain, which acts as a protease inhibitor has been released this week, in several variants derived from a peptide library. |
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Structure of a left-handed DNA G-quadruplex.
PDB entry: 4u5m The iconic double helical structure of B-form DNA needs no introduction, but DNA can take on several different structures too. G-quadruplex DNA is formed from guanine-rich DNA sequences which are found in the telomeres. |
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Structure of an allergen from surgical gloves
PDB 4wp4: |
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Cryo-EM structure of the Dark apoptosome.
EMDB EMD-2871: The apoptosome, which comprises 16 molecules of the Dark protein, facilitates autocatalytic activation of caspase, which starts the process of apoptosis, or cell death. |