M. Castelli

Decrypting the languages of allostery in membrane-bound K-Ras4B using four complementary in silico approaches

The paper uses four in silico methods to analyze allostery in K-Ras4B, showing how different 'languages' of allostery change with GTP perturbation.

How Aberrant N-Glycosylation Can Alter Protein Functionality and Ligand Binding: an Atomistic View

The paper investigates how N-glycosylation of GRP94 modulates its conformational dynamics and ligand binding, providing insights for designing inhibitors targeting disease-associated conformations.

Host association and intracellularity evolved multiple times independently in the Rickettsiales

The paper investigates the evolution of host association and intracellularity in Rickettsiales by analyzing genomic data and functional reconstructions, finding that these traits evolved multiple times independently.

The origin and evolution of mitochondrial tropism in Midichloria bacteria

This study analyzes mitochondrial tropism in three additional Midichloria species and sequences nine novel genomes, revealing non-monophyletic patterns and genomic signatures associated with mitochondrial colonization.

SARS-CoV-2 Spike Affinity and Dynamics Exclude the Strict Requirement of an Intermediate Host

This study shows SARS-CoV-2 and RaTG13 spikes have similar ACE2 binding affinities, suggesting minimal species barriers, and highlights SARS-CoV-2's optimized dynamics for human ACE2 engagement.

A human stem cell-derived neurosensory-epithelial circuitry on-a-chip to model herpes simplex virus reactivation

This study develops a human stem cell-derived neurosensory-epithelial circuitry on-a-chip to model HSV-1 reactivation and latency.

Outwitting planarians antibacterial defence mechanisms: Rickettsiales bacterial trans-infection from Paramecium multimicronucleatum to planarians

The paper demonstrates that a Rickettsia-like endosymbiont from a ciliate can be trans-infected into planarians, detected up to day 7 post-infection.

Combined prophylactic and therapeutic use maximizes hydroxychloroquine anti-SARS-CoV-2 effects in vitro

This study shows that hydroxychloroquine is most effective against SARS-CoV-2 when used both before and after infection in vitro.

The evolution of realized niches within freshwater Synechococcus

This study investigates how closely-related Synechococcus taxa share similar ecological niches in freshwater environments, finding that co-occurrence patterns suggest phylogenetic conservation of realized niches over evolutionary time.

Next generation taxonomy: integrating traditional species description with the holobiont concept and genomic approaches - The in-depth characterization of a novel Euplotes species as a case study

The paper introduces a new taxonomy framework integrating holobiont concepts and genomic analysis, exemplified by describing a novel Euplotes species and its symbiont.

The extracellular association of the bacterium \"Candidatus Deianiraea vastatrix\" with the ciliate Paramecium suggests an alternative scenario for the evolution of Rickettsiales

The paper describes a novel Rickettsiales bacterium associated with Paramecium that replicates extracellularly, suggesting an alternative evolutionary scenario for intracellularity in Rickettsiales.