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The identification of N6-methyldeoxyadenosine in the DNA of Xenopus laevis, mice and humans extends the presence of this mark to vertebrates, thus fostering the potential importance of this mark as a carrier of epigenetic information.
Crystal structures of HIV-1 Env V1V2 in complex with human broadly neutralizing antibodies and ontogeny analyses allow the engineering of Env trimers that are recognized by ancestor and intermediate antibody forms.
A nanodisc-based approach reveals that the fusion pores formed during neurotransmitter exocytosis are hybrid structures composed of both membrane lipids and SNARE proteins.
Structural and biochemistry analyses reveal that the monomeric RING domains of E3 ligases Arkadia and Ark2C bind free ubiquitin with high affinity, and the RING–Ub complex stabilizes donor ubiquitin conjugated to E2, thus promoting transfer.
Biochemical analyses, auxin-induced degradation experiments and EM imaging provide a map of the subunit connectivity of the yeast exocyst and show that the exocyst exists predominantly as a stable octameric complex.
Polyglutamine (polyGln) expansions induce protein misfolding and aggregation into fibrillar deposits, which are believed to underlie forms of neurodegeneration through a mechanism involving gain of toxic function. Polyalalanine expansions are now shown to differ from polyGln in kinetics of aggregation, morphology of aggregates and mechanism of toxicity.
The mechanisms guiding the substrate specificity of kinases are still poorly understood. Two recent reports provide further insights into how the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase recognizes targets by identifying a new consensus motif that requires a Src-mediated priming phosphorylation.
In this Perspective, the authors discuss how recent innovations in single-molecule fluorescence approaches now permit protein dynamics to be monitored in increasingly complex biological systems and cellular environments.
New cryo electron microscopy structures of bluetongue virus (BTV) under low- and high-pH conditions reveal pH sensors that mediate host-membrane fusion and penetration by a nonenveloped virus.
A new crystal structure of mouse Unkempt, a translational regulator of neuronal cell morphology, reveals how its two zinc-finger-triplet clusters recognize distinct cognate RNA sites.
Single-molecule FRET provides insight into the structural dynamics of the KirBac1.1 potassium channel and reveals that channel gating is controlled by the tightness of the slide-helix ‘belt’.
Spy is an ATP-independent chaperone that resides in the Escherichia coli periplasm and promotes the folding of its client Im7. Kinetic analyses now reveal that Im7 folds into its native state while it is bound to Spy.
The cryo-EM structure of a nucleoplasmic pre-60S particle with the Rix1–Rea1 checkpoint machinery reveals insights into pre-60S maturation before nuclear export.
IgG4 antibodies can exchange Fab arms and show different affinities for Fc receptors than do other IgG subclasses. The structure of full-length pembrolizumab, a human IgG4 approved to treat advanced melanoma, provides a framework to understand IgG4's properties.
Comprehensive identification of mRNA-binding proteins in S. cerevisiae and C. elegans reveals their evolutionary conservation; strikingly, most components of the glycolytic pathway and proteasome are detected, thus possibly indicating an ancient mechanism for metabolic control.
Crystal structures of human heparanase in its apo form and bound to oligosaccharide substrates offer insights into the mechanism of substrate recognition and catalysis.
In vitro and in vivo analyses show that the aggregation mechanism of polyalanine expansions is based on assembly into α-helical clusters with diverse oligomeric species, in contrast to that of polyglutamine expansions, which form amyloid fibrils.