Volume 10 Issue 5, May 2003

Structural characterization of the DCX domains from doublecortin reveals novel mechanisms for microtubule binding in a protein essential for brain development.

The structure of Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase–thymidylate synthase, a target of clinically established antimalarial drugs, reveals the nature of inhibitor binding, drug resistance and autologous gene repression, all of which influence species-specific drug sensitivity.

Defective proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are tagged as terminally aberrant by the composition of their N-linked glycans. The ER carbohydrate-binding protein EDEM selectively recognizes such tags and sorts the defective proteins for degradation via the ERAD pathway.

Cryo-electron microscopy has been used to study the stepwise maturation of herpes simplex virus capsids. This approach should be useful for exploring other dynamic processes in biology.