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A new cryo-EM study reveals how ATP hydrolysis in the p97 ATPase is coordinated to unfold the protein’s substrates and provides new foundations for the design of small molecule therapeutics targeting p97 in cancer, neurodegeneration and viral infection.
A series of high-resolution cryo-EM structures of substrate-engaged human p97 AAA ATPase reveal critical conformational changes of the intersubunit signaling motifs, which contribute to the spiral staircase conformation of the D1 and D2 rings of p97.
The autophagy protein Atg8 regulates autophagosome biogenesis and mediates cargo recruitment in different types of selective autophagy, but the molecular mechanisms mediating Atg8 functions during autophagosome biogenesis have been unclear. A study published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology now shows that lipidated Atg8 possesses physicochemical activity that regulates membrane morphology, which underlies efficient autophagosome biogenesis.
Cryo-EM structures of the heat-activated TRP channel TRPV3 in lipid nanodiscs at different temperatures reveal a conformational wave involved in the gating process.
Lipidated Atg8 affects membrane morphology via two aromatic membrane-facing residues that are important for autophagy in budding yeast and mammalian cells.
Cryo-EM structures of zebrafish TRPM5 reveal closed and Ca2+-bound open states, a unique Ca2+ binding site that modulates voltage sensitivity and the mechanism of antagonist action.
A spectrum of high-risk leukemias is caused by recurrent chromosomal translocations that result in the expression of fusion proteins. In a recent article in Nature, it has been demonstrated that the oncogenic properties of one such fusion, NUP98–HOXA9, are linked to its ability to self-associate and function through aberrantly phase-separated “onco-condensates.”
A cryo-EM structure of SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a reveals a new fold conserved in coronaviruses, and functional experiments show ion channel activity that may be important for viral infectivity.
The canonical DNA methylation maintenance enzyme Dnmt1 displays global de novo methylation activity with greater targeting towards IAP transposons, which may contribute to their stable repression during early development.
After years of only low-resolution and partial assemblies, the entire human preinitiation complex (PIC), including the large and flexible Mediator and TFIID complexes, has come into focus. Five recent papers from three different research groups have transformed our understanding of transcription initiation by RNA polymerase II.
Chemical genetic dissection of the SWI/SNF–Polycomb axis in mouse stem cells identifies an unexpected role for mSWI/SNF in repression, providing mechanistic insight into the dynamic ‘tug of war’ between transcriptional activation and repression.
Cell-based, in vitro and in vivo assays reveal that Fanconi anemia factors function in a BRCA1-dependent BIR-like pathway to restart stalled replication forks and that persistent replication stress contributes to FA pathogenesis.
ELOVLs are membrane-embedded enzymes that elongate very long chain fatty acids, precursors of sphingolipids and ceramides. The first crystal structure of a human ELOVL reveals an unexpected reaction mechanism, suggesting potential approaches for inhibition in disease.