This paper resolves the mechanism of covalent bond formation in a LOV photoreceptor using time-resolved crystallography and spectroscopy, revealing a water-mediated proton transfer that accelerates the reaction by fourteen orders of magnitude.

bioRxiv · Aug 6, 2026 · PreprintBiophysics

Time-resolved structures of β2-adrenergic receptor modulation by a photoswitchable beta-blocker

Robin Stipp, Quentin Bertrand, Matilde Cardoso Trabuco, Anna Duran‐Corbera, Maria Tindara Ignazzitto, Hannah Glover, Fabienne Stierli, Juanlo Catena, Melissa Carrillo, Sina Hartmann, Hans Peter Seidel, Matthias Mulder, Thomas J. Mason, Yasushi Kondo, Maximilian Wranik, , J. Standfuss

This study captures time-resolved structures of β2AR modulated by a photoswitchable beta-blocker, revealing conformational changes linked to ligand isomerization and receptor function.

bioRxiv · Sep 3, 2025 · PreprintBiochemistry

Watching the release of a photopharmacological drug from tubulin using time-resolved serial crystallography

Maximilian Wranik, Tobias Weinert, Chavdar Slavov, Tiziana Masini, Antonia Furrer, Natacha Gaillard, Dario Gioia, Marco Jacopo Ferrarotti, Daniel James, Hannah Glover, Melissa Carrillo, Demet Kekilli, Robin Stipp, Petr Skopintsev, Steffen Brünle, , Jörg Standfuss

The paper captures the release of a photopharmacological drug from tubulin using time-resolved serial crystallography and shows how ligand release triggers conformational changes.

Nature Communications · Feb 17, 2023Peer-reviewedMolecular Biology