UT Southwestern biochemist recognized for pioneering metabolic research
(TAMEST) DALLAS - UT Southwestern Biochemist Benjamin Tu, Ph.D., is the recipient of the 2021 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in Science from TAMEST (The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas). He was chosen for his pioneering research on cellular roles of small molecule metabolites that may have relevance for cancer treatments and other diseases. (Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer)
Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer - January 13, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
mRNA Technology Gave Us the First COVID-19 Vaccines. It Could Also Upend the Drug Industry
“No!” The doctor snapped. “Look at me!”
I had been staring her in the eyes, as she had ordered, but when a doctor on my other side began jabbing me with a needle, I started to turn my head. “Don’t look at it,” the first doctor said. I obeyed.
This was in early August in New Orleans, where I had signed up to be a participant in the clinical trial for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. It was a blind study, which meant I was not supposed to know whether I had gotten the placebo or the real vaccine. I asked the doctor if I would really been able to tell by looking at the syringe. &...
Source: TIME: Health - January 11, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Walter Isaacson Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 feature Magazine Source Type: news
mRNA Technology Gave Us the First COVID-19 Vaccines. It Could Also Upend the Drug Industry
“No!” The doctor snapped. “Look at me!”
I had been staring her in the eyes, as she had ordered, but when a doctor on my other side began jabbing me with a needle, I started to turn my head. “Don’t look at it,” the first doctor said. I obeyed.
This was in early August in New Orleans, where I had signed up to be a participant in the clinical trial for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. It was a blind study, which meant I was not supposed to know whether I had gotten the placebo or the real vaccine. I asked the doctor if I would really been able to tell by looking at the syringe. &...
Source: TIME: Science - January 11, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Walter Isaacson Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 feature Magazine Source Type: news
Two antibodies against flaviviruses
(Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - January 7, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Vinson, V. Tags: Biochemistry, Microbiology twis Source Type: news
Remodeling an RNA processing machine
(Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - January 7, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Jiang, D. Tags: Biochemistry twis Source Type: news
Glycylation regulates axonemal dyneins
(Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - January 7, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Hurtley, S. M. Tags: Biochemistry, Cell Biology twis Source Type: news
PreTCRs use horizontal docking geometry
(Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - January 7, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Scanlon, S. T. Tags: Biochemistry, Immunology twis Source Type: news
Pre-T cell receptors topologically sample self-ligands during thymocyte {beta}-selection
Self-discrimination, a critical but ill-defined molecular process programmed during thymocyte development, requires myriad pre–T cell receptors (preTCRs) and αβTCRs. Using x-ray crystallography, we show how a preTCR applies the concave β-sheet surface of its single variable domain (Vβ) to "horizontally" grab the protruding MHC α2-helix. By contrast, αβTCRs purpose all six complementarity-determining region (CDR) loops of their paired VαVβ module to recognize peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex molecules (pMHCs) in "vertical" head-to-head binding. The pre...
Source: ScienceNOW - January 7, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Li, X., Mizsei, R., Tan, K., Mallis, R. J., Duke-Cohan, J. S., Akitsu, A., Tetteh, P. W., Dubey, A., Hwang, W., Wagner, G., Lang, M. J., Arthanari, H., Wang, J.-h., Reinherz, E. L. Tags: Biochemistry, Immunology reports Source Type: news
A broadly protective antibody that targets the flavivirus NS1 protein
There are no approved flaviviral therapies and the development of vaccines against flaviruses has the potential of being undermined by antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). The flavivirus nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) is a promising vaccine antigen with low ADE risk but has yet to be explored as a broad-spectrum therapeutic antibody target. Here, we provide the structural basis of NS1 antibody cross-reactivity through cocrystallization of the antibody 1G5.3 with NS1 proteins from dengue and Zika viruses. The 1G5.3 antibody blocks multi-flavivirus NS1-mediated cell permeability in disease-relevant cell lines, and therapeuti...
Source: ScienceNOW - January 7, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Modhiran, N., Song, H., Liu, L., Bletchly, C., Brillault, L., Amarilla, A. A., Xu, X., Qi, J., Chai, Y., Cheung, S. T. M., Traves, R., Setoh, Y. X., Bibby, S., Scott, C. A. P., Freney, M. E., Newton, N. D., Khromykh, A. A., Chappell, K. J., Muller, D. A., Tags: Biochemistry, Microbiology reports Source Type: news
Structural basis for antibody inhibition of flavivirus NS1-triggered endothelial dysfunction
Medically important flaviviruses cause diverse disease pathologies and collectively are responsible for a major global disease burden. A contributing factor to pathogenesis is secreted flavivirus nonstructural protein 1 (NS1). Despite demonstrated protection by NS1-specific antibodies against lethal flavivirus challenge, the structural and mechanistic basis remains unknown. Here, we present three crystal structures of full-length dengue virus NS1 complexed with a flavivirus–cross-reactive, NS1-specific monoclonal antibody, 2B7, at resolutions between 2.89 and 3.96 angstroms. These structures reveal a protective mecha...
Source: ScienceNOW - January 7, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Biering, S. B., Akey, D. L., Wong, M. P., Brown, W. C., Lo, N. T. N., Puerta-Guardo, H., Tramontini Gomes de Sousa, F., Wang, C., Konwerski, J. R., Espinosa, D. A., Bockhaus, N. J., Glasner, D. R., Li, J., Blanc, S. F., Juan, E. Y., Elledge, S. J., Mina, Tags: Biochemistry, Microbiology reports Source Type: news
Tubulin glycylation controls axonemal dynein activity, flagellar beat, and male fertility
In this study, we generated a mouse model entirely lacking tubulin glycylation. Male mice were subfertile owing to aberrant beat patterns of their sperm flagella, which impeded the straight swimming of sperm cells. Using cryo–electron tomography, we showed that lack of glycylation caused abnormal conformations of the dynein arms within sperm axonemes, providing the structural basis for the observed dysfunction. Our findings reveal the importance of microtubule glycylation for controlled flagellar beating, directional sperm swimming, and male fertility. (Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - January 7, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Gadadhar, S., Alvarez Viar, G., Hansen, J. N., Gong, A., Kostarev, A., Ialy-Radio, C., Leboucher, S., Whitfield, M., Ziyyat, A., Toure, A., Alvarez, L., Pigino, G., Janke, C. Tags: Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Online Only r-articles Source Type: news
Mechanism of spliceosome remodeling by the ATPase/helicase Prp2 and its coactivator Spp2
Spliceosome remodeling, executed by conserved adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase)/helicases including Prp2, enables precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) splicing. However, the structural basis for the function of the ATPase/helicases remains poorly understood. Here, we report atomic structures of Prp2 in isolation, Prp2 complexed with its coactivator Spp2, and Prp2-loaded activated spliceosome and the results of structure-guided biochemical analysis. Prp2 weakly associates with the spliceosome and cannot function without Spp2, which stably associates with Prp2 and anchors on the spliceosome, thus tethering Prp2 to the activate...
Source: ScienceNOW - January 7, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Bai, R., Wan, R., Yan, C., Jia, Q., Lei, J., Shi, Y. Tags: Biochemistry, Online Only r-articles Source Type: news
Epigenetic enzymes and regulation of transcription
NIEHS biochemist Trevor Archer, Ph.D., discussed “Using Epigenetic Enzymes to Regulate Transcription,” in a Duke University seminar. (read more) (Source: Environmental Factor - NIEHS Newsletter)
Source: Environmental Factor - NIEHS Newsletter - January 6, 2021 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: news
Checking fidelity in cell division
(Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - December 31, 2020 Category: Science Authors: Ray, L. B. Tags: Biochemistry, Cell Biology twis Source Type: news
One sequence encoding two structures
(Source: ScienceNOW)
Source: ScienceNOW - December 31, 2020 Category: Science Authors: Vinson, V. Tags: Biochemistry twis Source Type: news
