S. V. Melnikov

A conserved ribosomal protein has entirely dissimilar structures in different organisms

The paper shows that the ribosomal protein msL1/msL2 has conserved location but entirely different structures across species, suggesting evolutionary fold switching driven by changes in rRNA binding sites.

Ribosomes as molecular thermometers: metal-binding sites in ribosomal proteins are robust indicators of bacterial adaptation to heat and cold

The paper identifies temperature-adaptive residues in ribosomal proteins that can estimate bacterial optimal growth temperatures using minimal genomic data.

'Lose-to-gain' adaptation to genome decayin the structure of the smallest eukaryotic ribosomes

This study uses cryo-EM and evolutionary analysis to show how E. cuniculi ribosomes adapt to genome decay through structural innovations that enable extreme rRNA reduction without losing ribosome function.

Exploiting evolutionary trade-offs to combat antibiotic resistance

The paper demonstrates that antibiotic-resistant cells can be inhibited by exploiting fitness trade-offs using norvaline to target genetic mutations in leucyl-tRNA synthetase in tavaborole-resistant E. coli.

Archaeal ribosomal proteins possess nuclear localization signal-type motifs: implications for the origin of the cell nucleus

The paper identifies NLS-type motifs in archaeal ribosomal proteins, showing they can functionally substitute eukaryotic NLSs and suggesting NLSs predate the nucleus.