Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jie Wang, Long-Jiang Yu, Wenda Wang, Qiujing Yan, Tingyun Kuang, Xiaochun Qin, Jian-Ren Shen
Summary: Photosystem I (PSI), a crucial component in photosynthesis, has been structurally analyzed in complex with light-harvesting complex I (LHCI) to reveal the arrangement of proteins, cofactors, and newly identified lipid molecules. The research sheds light on the mechanisms of light-energy harvesting, transfer, and supercomplex assembly.
JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
S. Tsimbalyuk, C. M. Donnelly, J. K. Forwood
Summary: The shuttling of macromolecules between the nucleus and cytoplasm is a regulated process mediated by specific interactions between cargo and nuclear transport proteins. In this study, the crystal structure of human importin alpha 7 was presented, providing insights into the structure-function relationships and isoform specificity within the importin alpha family.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhaoming Su, Kaiming Zhang, Kalli Kappel, Shanshan Li, Michael Z. Palo, Grigore D. Pintilie, Ramya Rangan, Bingnan Luo, Yuquan Wei, Rhiju Das, Wah Chiu
Summary: This study presents cryo-EM structures of the Tetrahymena ribozyme in substrate-free and bound states, revealing new peripheral helical structures and kissing loop pseudoknots. The global architecture is nearly identical, with significant conformational changes and localized shifts in the internal guide sequence and guanosine binding site upon RNA substrate binding. These results provide a long-sought structural view of a paradigmatic RNA enzyme and signal a new era for cryo-EM-based study of structure-function relationships in ribozymes.
Article
Virology
Vijay S. Reddy, Xiaodi Yu, Michael A. Barry
Summary: This study reports the improved capsid structure of human adenovirus D26 (HAdV-D26), providing better understanding of protein-protein interactions in HAdV capsids and facilitating the efforts to modify and/or design adenoviral vectors with altered properties.
Article
Biology
Jiannan Li, Noriyuki Hamaoka, Fumiaki Makino, Akihiro Kawamoto, Yuxi Lin, Matthias Roegner, Marc M. Nowaczyk, Young-Ho Lee, Keiichi Namba, Christoph Gerle, Genji Kurisu
Summary: By studying the high-resolution structure of the cyanobacterial photosystem I complexed with Ferredoxin, we have explained the details of its electron transfer process and proposed a possible mechanism for electron transfer. This helps us to better understand the function of Photosystem I.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Basil J. Greber, Jonathan Remis, Simak Ali, Eva Nogales
Summary: The human CDK-activating kinase (CAK) is a promising target for cancer chemotherapy due to its role in transcription initiation and cell cycle control. A study used cryogenic electron microscopy to determine the structure of human CAK in complex with ICEC0942, revealing conformational differences with previous X-ray crystal structures of CDK2-bound complex. This demonstrates the critical ability of cryogenic electron microscopy in resolving structures of drug-bound protein complexes without the need for protein crystallization.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Simone Pellegrino, Kyle C. Dent, Tobias Spikes, Alan J. Warren
Summary: The chemical modifications of ribosomal RNA and proteins are crucial for ribosome assembly, protein synthesis, and potentially for ribosome specialization in development and disease. However, the inability to visualize these modifications accurately has hindered the mechanistic understanding of their role in ribosome function. In this study, the researchers used cryo-EM to reconstruct the human 40S ribosomal subunit and observed post-transcriptional modifications in the RNA and post-translational modifications in the proteins. They also elucidated the role of potassium and magnesium ions in stabilizing and folding key ribosomal elements. This work provides unprecedented structural details for the human 40S ribosomal subunit and will be valuable for investigating the functional role of ribosomal RNA modifications.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
V. Viswanathan, Chitra Rani, Nayeem Ahmad, Prashant Kumar Singh, Pradeep Sharma, Punit Kaur, Sujata Sharma, Tej P. Singh
Summary: Lactoperoxidase (LPO) is a heme-containing oxido-reductase enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of thiocyanate and halides. The structure of LPO from yak, determined at high resolution, revealed interesting details about its composition and substrate binding site.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vivian Cody, Jia Q. Truong, Bruce A. Holdsworth, Jessica K. Holien, Samantha J. Richardson, David K. Chalmers, David J. Craik
Summary: Human transthyretin (hTTR) amyloid deposits can disrupt cellular function, but the molecule VCP-6 can bind to and stabilize hTTR, reducing amyloid formation.
Article
Microbiology
Grant Eilers, Kushol D. Gupta, Audrey Allen, Saira E. Montermoso, Hemma J. Murali, Robert E. Sharp, Young J. Hwang, Frederic D. E. Bushman, Gregory J. Van Duyne
Summary: HIV integrase plays a crucial role in viral replication by inserting viral DNA into the host genome. Strand transfer inhibitors (STIs) and allosteric inhibitors of integrase (ALLINIs) are two major classes of antivirals that target integrase. In this study, we determined the crystal structure of the minimal ternary complex between the catalytic core domain (CCD), carboxy-terminal domain (CTD), and the ALLINI BI-224436, providing insights for improving ALLINI design and minimizing resistance.
Article
Plant Sciences
Julia Smirnova, Justus Loerke, Gunnar Kleinau, Andrea Schmidt, Joerg Buerger, Etienne H. Meyer, Thorsten Mielke, Patrick Scheerer, Ralph Bock, Christian M. T. Spahn, Reimo Zoschke
Summary: Translation in plant cells occurs in three compartments, and this study focuses on the structure of the 80S ribosomes in the cytosol. By using cryo-electron microscopy, the researchers solved the structure of translating tobacco ribosomes and gained insights into the molecular underpinnings of cytosolic translation in plants.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Zhenxiang Hong, Ya Wang, Haisheng Ji
Summary: This study provides an extensive analysis of four granule-sized microeruptions observed in the He i 10830 angstrom band, with their roots traced down to intergranular lanes. The microeruptions exhibit different durations and behaviors, with two being repetitive microjets and the other two being singular events. Transient cospatial EUV brightenings were observed for longer duration microjets, while absent for singular microeruptions. The observations suggest that magnetic reconnection occurs continuously and generates multitemperature components, modulated by p-mode oscillations inside the Sun.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Prashant K. Singh, Sadanand Pandey, Chitra Rani, Nayeem Ahmad, V. Viswanathan, Pradeep Sharma, Punit Kaur, Sujata Sharma, Tej P. Singh
Summary: Lactoperoxidase is a heme-containing glycoprotein that catalyzes the oxidation of thiocyanate by hydrogen peroxide to produce hypothiocyanite, an antibacterial agent. Studies on the effect of potassium ions on lactoperoxidase structure and function showed a significant reduction in catalytic activity. The presence of potassium ions in the distal heme cavity hindered the enzyme's catalytic activity.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pu Qian, Tristan I. Croll, David J. K. Swainsbury, Pablo Castro-Hartmann, Nigel W. Moriarty, Kasim Sader, C. Neil Hunter
Summary: The RC-LH1 complex is the core functional component of bacterial photosynthesis, with a unique monomeric bacteriochlorophyll and phospholipid ligand. The LH1 complex is composed of a circular array of 16 alpha beta-polypeptide subunits that completely surrounds the RC, with a preferential binding site for a quinone designated Q(P).
BIOCHEMICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Niklas Klusch, Maximilian Dreimann, Jennifer Senkler, Nils Rugen, Werner Kuehlbrandt, Hans-Peter Braun
Summary: Protein complexes of the mitochondrial respiratory chain can assemble into supercomplexes. In this study, the structure of an Arabidopsis respiratory supercomplex composed of complex I and a complex III dimer was determined using high-resolution electron cryo-microscopy. The supercomplex contains 68 protein subunits and numerous bound cofactors. The stabilization of component complexes enables insights into their structure, including an interrupted aqueous passage in complex I, a new coenzyme A in the carbonic anhydrase module of complex I, and the water structure in the proton exit pathway of complex III2.
