A plateful of medicine
(Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - April 1, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Kaiser, J. Tags: Biochemistry, Medicine, Diseases Feature Source Type: news

Mediating transcription
(Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - April 1, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Jiang, D. Tags: Biochemistry twis Source Type: news

Integrating form and function for design
(Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - April 1, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Vinson, V. Tags: Biochemistry, Materials Science twis Source Type: news

Structure of the human Mediator-bound transcription preinitiation complex
Eukaryotic transcription requires the assembly of a multisubunit preinitiation complex (PIC) composed of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and the general transcription factors. The coactivator Mediator is recruited by transcription factors, facilitates the assembly of the PIC, and stimulates phosphorylation of the Pol II C-terminal domain (CTD) by the TFIIH subunit CDK7. Here, we present the cryo–electron microscopy structure of the human Mediator-bound PIC at a resolution below 4 angstroms. Transcription factor binding sites within Mediator are primarily flexibly tethered to the tail module. CDK7 is stabilized by multiple...
Source: ScienceNOW - April 1, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Abdella, R., Talyzina, A., Chen, S., Inouye, C. J., Tjian, R., He, Y. Tags: Biochemistry r-articles Source Type: news

Cold Tooth Pain's Mysterious Molecular Culprit
Researchers figured out how a jolt of discomfort gets from the damaged outside of your tooth to the nerves inside it. (Source: NYT Health)
Source: NYT Health - March 26, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Veronique Greenwood Tags: Teeth and Dentistry Temperature Biology and Biochemistry Proteins Mice Science Advances (Journal) Research your-feed-science your-feed-health Source Type: news

Reporter Apoorva Mandavilli Makes Science of Covid Clearer
Behind some of The Times ’s vital journalism on the coronavirus is a reporter who speaks seven languages, holds a master’s degree in biochemistry and, OK, has a weakness for “Bridgerton.” (Source: NYT Health)
Source: NYT Health - March 25, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Katie Van Syckle Tags: Mandavilli, Apoorva New York Times News and News Media Science and Technology Content Type: Personal Profile Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Source Type: news

Laser-controlled receptor clustering
(Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - March 25, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Ray, L. B. Tags: Biochemistry, Cell Biology twis Source Type: news

In non-eutherians, a third type of T cell
(Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - March 25, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Scanlon, S. T. Tags: Biochemistry, Immunology twis Source Type: news

The molecular assembly of the marsupial {gamma}{mu} T cell receptor defines a third T cell lineage
We describe a population of μTCRs found exclusively in non-eutherian mammals that consist of a two-domain (V-C) -chain paired to a three-domain (Vμ-Vμj-Cμ) μ-chain. μTCRs were characterized by restricted diversity in the V and Vμj domains and a highly diverse unpaired Vμ domain. Crystal structures of two distinct μTCRs revealed the structural basis of the association of the μTCR heterodimer. The Vμ domain shared the characteristics of a single-domain antibody within which the hypervariable CDR3μ loop suggests a major antigen recognition determinant. We define here the molecular basis und...
Source: ScienceNOW - March 25, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Morrissey, K. A., Wegrecki, M., Praveena, T., Hansen, V. L., Bu, L., Sivaraman, K. K., Darko, S., Douek, D. C., Rossjohn, J., Miller, R. D., Le Nours, J. Tags: Biochemistry, Immunology reports Source Type: news

Photoinduced receptor confinement drives ligand-independent GPCR signaling
Cell-cell communication relies on the assembly of receptor-ligand complexes at the plasma membrane. The spatiotemporal receptor organization has a pivotal role in evoking cellular responses. We studied the clustering of heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide–binding protein (G protein)–coupled receptors (GPCRs) and established a photoinstructive matrix with ultrasmall lock-and-key interaction pairs to control lateral membrane organization of hormone neuropeptide Y2 receptors in living cells by light. Within seconds, receptor clustering was modulated in size, location, and density. After in situ confinement, changes ...
Source: ScienceNOW - March 25, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Sanchez, M. F., Els-Heindl, S., Beck-Sickinger, A. G., Wieneke, R., Tampe, R. Tags: Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Online Only r-articles Source Type: news

University of Bristol continues fight to eradicate deadly disease on World Tuberculosis Day
Researchers at the University of Bristol are working on a number of different developments to finally end the TB epidemic. (Source: University of Bristol news)
Source: University of Bristol news - March 24, 2021 Category: Universities & Medical Training Tags: Research; Faculty of Science, School of Physics, Faculty of Science, School of Chemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences, School of Biochemistry; Press Release Source Type: news

Atomic structure of the minor spliceosome
(Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - March 18, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Jiang, D. Tags: Biochemistry, Molecular Biology twis Source Type: news

Cryo-EM helps engineer enhanced IL-10
(Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - March 18, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Scanlon, S. T. Tags: Biochemistry, Immunology twis Source Type: news

Processive RNA polymerization and promoter recognition in an RNA World
Early life is thought to have required the self-replication of RNA by RNA replicases. However, how such replicases evolved and subsequently enabled gene expression remains largely unexplored. We engineered and selected a holopolymerase ribozyme that uses a sigma factor–like specificity primer to first recognize an RNA promoter sequence and then, in a second step, rearrange to a processive elongation form. Using its own sequence, the polymerase can also program itself to polymerize from certain RNA promoters and not others. This selective promoter–based polymerization could allow an RNA replicase ribozyme to def...
Source: ScienceNOW - March 18, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Cojocaru, R., Unrau, P. J. Tags: Biochemistry, Molecular Biology r-articles Source Type: news

Structure-based decoupling of the pro- and anti-inflammatory functions of interleukin-10
Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an immunoregulatory cytokine with both anti-inflammatory and immunostimulatory properties and is frequently dysregulated in disease. We used a structure-based approach to deconvolute IL-10 pleiotropy by determining the structure of the IL-10 receptor (IL-10R) complex by cryo–electron microscopy at a resolution of 3.5 angstroms. The hexameric structure shows how IL-10 and IL-10Rα form a composite surface to engage the shared signaling receptor IL-10Rβ, enabling the design of partial agonists. IL-10 variants with a range of IL-10Rβ binding strengths uncovered substantial differ...
Source: ScienceNOW - March 18, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Saxton, R. A., Tsutsumi, N., Su, L. L., Abhiraman, G. C., Mohan, K., Henneberg, L. T., Aduri, N. G., Gati, C., Garcia, K. C. Tags: Biochemistry, Immunology, Online Only r-articles Source Type: news