biophysical modeling

Aβ42 facilitates the activation of Discoidin Domain Receptor 2 and Its nuclear enrichment in Alzheimer's Disease Model

This study shows Aβ42 activates DDR2 in Alzheimer's disease models by non-canonically bypassing collagen ligands and promotes its nuclear enrichment, with structural insights into the mechanism and potential therapeutic inhibition.

Collective multicellular patterns arising from cadherin-linked cytoskeletal domains

This study introduces a biophysical model that couples adhesion complex dynamics to intracellular mechanics, revealing multicellular patterns like polarization and stress chains.

Bacterial exo-α-sialidases subvert the complement system through desialylation

This study shows bacterial sialidases remove sialic acids from complement proteins, reducing complement activation and helping bacteria evade immune detection.

A Cryptic Binding Pocket Regulates the Metal-Dependent Activity of Cas9

This study identifies a cryptic divalent metal binding pocket that regulates Cas9's metal-dependent activity through conformational activation and catalytic efficiency.

Scanning and active sampling behaviours emerge from conserved insect neural circuits

This study shows that scanning behaviors in desert ants emerge from conserved neural circuits without a specialized module, using a biologically grounded model.

The Hunt for Cholesteryl Ester Hydrolases: Identification of Lipoprotein Lipase as a Cholesterylesterase

This study identifies lipoprotein lipase (LPL) as a neutral cholesteryl ester hydrolase in mammals through biochemical and pharmacological analyses.

Lipid gating of BK channels and mechanism of activation by negatively charged lipids

This study investigates how lipid interactions influence BK channel conductivity and activation, proposing a multi-modal mechanism involving lipid entry reduction and structural stabilization.

Evolutionary conservation and divergence of CXCL17 orthologs: functional evidence in reptiles and loss in the avian lineage

This study identifies functional CXCL17 orthologs in reptiles and shows their loss in birds, using bioinformatics and recombinant protein assays.

Transposon end recognition and pairing by I-F3 CRISPR-associated transposase

This study determines how the I-F3 CRISPR-associated transposase recognizes and pairs transposon ends for transposition using cryo-EM and biochemical analyses.

Patient-informed biomechanical modelling reveals mechanical mechanism of brain damage in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus

This paper develops a biomechanical model of the brain to show that ventricular enlargement in iNPH causes mechanical strain in white matter, contributing to brain damage.

Mechanism of activation of an ancestral Tec kinase by PIP3

This study identifies how PIP3 activates an ancestral Tec kinase by displacing its PH domain from an inhibitory interaction with its kinase domain.

Low levels of metabolic auxotrophy among environmental Pseudomonas isolates

The paper combines experimental and bioinformatic methods to assess amino acid auxotrophy in 315 Pseudomonas isolates, finding most are prototrophic with few auxotrophs and multiple biosynthesis pathways.

Genomic and biochemical contexts determine the physiological role of a horizontally acquired gene

This paper shows that horizontally acquired mgtC genes can have different physiological roles depending on genomic and biochemical contexts in Salmonella enterica and other bacteria.

Stepwise Ligand Capture Primes PKR for Activation and RNA Discrimination

This study reveals how PKR's dsRBDs work together to enable selective RNA recognition and activation through a two-step ligand sampling mechanism.

Genomic Characterization of 30 Lytic Klebsiella pneumoniae Bacteriophages

This study characterizes 30 lytic Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteriophages, finding diverse genomic structures and no virulence or antibiotic resistance genes, with potential as antimicrobial agents against carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae.

Prophage {Phi}ESI promotes competitive dominance in the emergent Salmonella serovar Infantis lineage

This paper identifies {Phi}ESI, a prophage in Salmonella Infantis, as a competitive factor that helps the emergent lineage outcompete non-emergent strains by selectively lysing susceptible competitors.

Enterovirus RNase L inhibiting RNAs are highly conserved with limited phylogenetic distribution

The paper identifies conserved structural features of PV1 ciRNA that inhibit RNase L and shows limited phylogenetic distribution of functional ciRNAs within Enterovirus coxsackiepol.

Small-molecule activators of the Staphylococcus aureus ClpC/ClpP AAA+ protease

The paper identifies small-molecule activators of the Staphylococcus aureus ClpC/ClpP protease through high-throughput screening and characterizes their binding sites.

The PSI-NDH supercomplex prevents chilling-induced PSI photoinhibition

This study shows that NDH is essential for protecting PSI from chilling-induced photoinhibition in rice and cucumber, and that chilling destabilizes the PSI-NDH supercomplex.

The Shewanella oneidensis Fic enzyme SoFic targets the switch-Iregion of EF-Tu for AMPylation

This study identifies EF-Tu as a target of the Fic enzyme SoFic, showing AMPylation disrupts EF-Tu's switch-I region and inhibits translation, while SoFic also binds DNA, suggesting dual regulatory roles.

Mutational constraints on RSV F and its neutralization by antibodies

This study defines how mutations in RSV F protein affect antibody neutralization and shows that resistance to nirsevimab is rare but possible.

Structure-guided discovery and engineering of miniature CRISPR-Cas12m for epigenome editing

This paper identifies and engineers a miniature CRISPR-Cas12m variant for epigenome editing, demonstrating its effectiveness in human cells and a mouse model of HBV infection.

The nucleoside analog CMX521 inhibits coronavirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase via a two-pronged mechanism

This study identifies a two-pronged mechanism by which CMX521 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase through biochemical assays and single-molecule techniques.

A Scaffolding Element Rewires Local 3D Chromatin Architecture During Differentiation

This study identifies a scaffolding element that drives chromatin rewiring during differentiation by modulating 3D structure and transcription.

Stereospecific GPG acylation by CLN8 drives BMP biosynthesis and its loss leads to Batten disease

This study identifies CLN8 as a stereospecific GPG acyltransferase critical for BMP biosynthesis, showing its loss causes Batten disease and that S,S-LPG supplementation can restore BMP and improve neurological symptoms.

Conformational plasticity and sequence specificity interplay in non-canonical tandem RRM-RNA binding

This study investigates how conformational plasticity and sequence specificity interact in tandem RRM-RNA binding using molecular dynamics simulations of DND1.

Substrate heterogeneity promotes cancer cell dissemination through interface roughening

This study shows that substrate disorder promotes single-cell cancer invasion, comparable to cadherin loss, by altering invasion dynamics through spatial heterogeneity.

Stress-induced Membrane Insertion at the β-Barrel Assembly Machinery Complex Regulates BepA Metalloprotease Activity

The paper identifies a stress-induced membrane insertion mechanism that activates the BepA metalloprotease by displacing its autoinhibitory plug, linking membrane association to protease function.

Cell division timing shapes the morphology and size of nascent multicellular organisms

The paper identifies cell division timing as a key factor influencing multicellular morphology and size in snowflake yeast, showing that asynchronous division leads to smaller clusters due to increased mechanical stress.

The virulence and motility of Pseudomonas syringae pv. Actinidiae mediated by a temperature sensor HktS-HktR

This study identifies HktS-HktR as a temperature sensor in Psa that regulates virulence and motility by controlling T3SS expression and bacterial movement.