Category Archives: structural biology
high-throughput protein expression and purification
The October 2010 issue of the Journal of Structural Biology features high-throughput expression and purification. Interesting stuff: New trends in protein expression High-throughput production of human proteins for crystallization: The SGC experience Widening the bottleneck: Increasing success in protein expression … Continue reading
toolbox for 3-D reconstruction
If you do molecular reconstruction by electron microscopy, this might be useful for you. Neil Voss and colleagues developed a “toolbox” of ab initio reconstruction techniques for 3-D reconstruction: ” … an easily managed and tightly controlled work-flow that adheres … Continue reading
structural conservation in TOR pathway
In the Journal of Molecular Biology, there is now a crystal structure of yeast Gse1p, or Gse1p/Ego3p/Slm4p/Nir1p, a component of the EGO-GSE protein complex in endosomal and vacuolar membranes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Deletion of genes encoding the proteins that make … Continue reading
mapping of subunits in multiprotein complexes
This is very exciting! Dirk Flemming and colleagues developed a tag that, upon attachment to a target protein, can recruit a structurally prominent electron microscopy label in vitro … Precise mapping of subunits in multiprotein complexes by a versatile electron … Continue reading
Filed under electron microscopy, structural biology
technology features
I’d like to point you to three recent Nature articles featuring technology updates related to structural biology, particularly of membrane proteins: Structural biology: The gatekeepers revealed Structural biology: Crystal-clear images Structural biology: Table of suppliers
Filed under structural biology
DNA cleavage by type II and IA topoisomerases
Brian Schmidt and colleagues presented a “novel and unified two-metal mechanism for DNA cleavage by type II and IA topoisomerases” on Nature 465: 641–644 (03 June 2010). Below is part of the abstract: “Here we present the structure of the … Continue reading
structural biology and ageing
Currently, I’ve been reading a set of journal articles about protein folding and protein-nucleic acid interactions on: Current Opinion in Structural Biology (Volume 20, Issue 1, February 2010). The introduction was written by Laura Itzhaki and Peter Wolynes: “Human beings … Continue reading
Filed under ageing, structural biology, structural biology and ageing
sestrins and ageing
The kinase molecule TOR (target of rapamycin) is involved in cell growth and proliferation by increasing protein and lipid synthesis. Persistent activation of TOR causes an imbalance in cellular metabolic processes, leading to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). … Continue reading
Filed under 4EBP, ageing, aging, drosophila, fly, fruitfly, mitochondria, reactive oxygen species, ROS, sestrins, structural biology, target of rapamycin, TOR
WRN RQC
Ken Kitano and colleagues have co-crystallised the RecQ C-terminal (RQC) domain of human WRN bound to a DNA duplex. In their recent Structure paper, they describe how the RQC domain interacts with a blunt end of the duplex and, surprisingly, … Continue reading
Filed under ageing, aging, RecQ, structural biology, Werner Syndrome, WRN
