Latest Structural biology Stories
Since the discovery of the microscope, scientists have tried to visualize smaller and smaller structures to provide insights into the inner workings of human cells, bacteria and viruses. Now, researchers at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), part of the National Institutes of Health, have developed a new way to see structures within viruses that were not clearly seen before. Their findings are reported in the Jan. 13 issue of Science....
Determining the molecular configuration of proteins is important in nanotechology, drug design, disease research and many other fieldsThe structures of many protein molecules remain unsolved even after experts apply an extensive array of approaches. An international collaboration has led to a new, high-performance method that rapidly determined the structure of protein molecules in several cases where previous methods had failed.The usefulness of the new method is reported May 1 in Nature...
A research team led by Edward Yu of Iowa State University and the Ames Laboratory has identified and described two parts of the three-part system that pumps toxins from bacteria and allows them to resist antibiotics.The discoveries are published in the Feb. 24 issue of the journal Nature.The paper describes the co-crystal structure of two parts of the three-part efflux pump that recognizes and removes heavy metal toxins from bacteria. A research team led by Yu "“ an Iowa State associate...
ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- BioInformatics, LLC announces the publication of their membrane protein structure market report: Exploring Structural Biology: Tools & Techniques Used in the Study of Membrane Protein Structure (#10-004) This study was designed to provide membrane structural biology product suppliers with critical insights as to technologies and areas of research with the highest potential for rapid growth. Recent technological advancements and the...
Like an overprotective parent on the first day of school, a targeting factor sometimes needs a little push to let go of its cargo. Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Grenoble, France, have visualised one such hand-over. They were the first to determine the structure of a ribosome-protein complex involved in carrying nascent proteins out of the cell. Their work, published online today in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, could increase understanding of...
BUFFALO, N.Y., Nov. 26, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Michael G. Malkowski, Hauptman-Woodward senior research scientist, has received a $6.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health in support of his work to establish the Membrane Protein Structural Biology Consortium (mpsbc.org) as one of nine centers in the United States responsible for determining membrane protein structures within a larger NIH biology-based initiative. Why is this important? The grant entitled Multi-Level...
A multi-institutional consortium led by The Scripps Research Institute scientists, the Joint Center for Structural Genomics (JCSG), is the sole focus of a special issue of the journal Acta Crystallographica Section F. This is the first time in the history of the monthly journal, which publishes peer-reviewed crystallography and structural biology articles, that an entire issue is devoted to the works of a single scientific center.The issue contains 35 articles grouped into sections that...
The prediction of the structure and function of biological macromolecules (i.e., the machinery of life) is of foremost importance in the field of structural biology. Since the elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of DNA (the molecule that carries all genetic information) by Watson and Crick, scientists have strived to decipher the hidden code that determines the evolution of the spatial arrangement of these molecules towards their functional native state. Attempts to follow these...
The National Center for Macromolecular Imaging at Baylor College of Medicine has received a five-year, $9.5 million award from the National Center for Research Resources, maintaining a record of more than 24 years of support to advance the development of research technology in the field of electron cryo-microscopy.NCRR, part of the National Institutes of Health, supports scientists and clinical researchers to advance critical technologies in structural biology, genomics, proteomics, imaging...
In proper society of yesterday, a chaperone ensured that couples maintained appropriate courting rituals. In biology, a group of proteins called chaperonins make sure that proteins are folded properly to carry out their assigned roles in the cells.In a new study in archaea (single-celled organisms without nuclei to enclose their genetic information), a consortium of researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and Stanford University in California discovered how the Group II chaperonins close...
