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Pharmacological and genetic modulators of voltage-gated Ca2+ channel (CaV) activity have been useful tools for understanding and modulating excitable cell function. A new method combines these approaches to provide pharmacological control of a genetically encoded suppressor of CaV activity.
Multimodular scaffold proteins are ideally suited for assembling the various proteins in signaling pathways into supramolecular complexes. A recent study demonstrates that, in addition to a passive scaffolding role, a PDZ domain in a photoreceptor scaffold protein actively regulates fruit fly visual signaling via light-dependent conformational cycling.
Education is a central mission of universities. Emphasizing creative and passionate teaching by all academic staff is essential for maintaining educational quality while supporting vigorous research.
DNA is the newest member of the enzyme club. The first glimpse of DNAzyme conformational changes at the single-molecule level reveals that enzymes made of DNA can use the same modi operandi as protein and RNA catalysts.
The biology of RNA interference has greatly facilitated analysis of loss-of-function phenotypes, but correlating these phenotypes with small-molecule inhibition profiles is not always straightforward. We examine the rationale of comparing RNA interference to pharmacological intervention in chemical biology.