Browse our latest Biochemistry and Chemical Biology articles

ER-stress sensing mechanism of the unfolded protein response sensor/transducer IRE1 is conserved from yeast to mammals, where in mammals, unfolded protein binding to IRE1's ER lumenal domain is coupled to its oligomerization and activation through an allosteric conformational change.

Head-to-head interactions of regulatory coiled-coil domains control activity of the central bacterial AAA+ protein ClpC by promoting formation of a reversible resting state.

Parkinson's kinase LRRK2 phosphorylates a distinct subset of Rabs, and LRRK2-dependent phosphorylation links LRKK2 to ciliogenesis.

Near atomic resolution of late 40S ribosomal subunit assembly by cryo-EM reveals immature rRNA active sites stabilized by biogenesis factors.

Integrative structural biology reveals a novel complex comprising the TATA-box-binding protein, TBP, and two subunits, TAF11 and TAF13, of General Transcription Factor TFIID, suggesting a new regulatory state in TFIID function in RNA polymerase II transcription initiation.

Six BBS proteins form a core BBSome transport vehicle, which is sufficient for recognizing membrane proteins for transport into the ciliary compartment.

The structure of human PINK1 explains structural regulation and clarity on the impact of loss of function disease-associated mutations, which may stimulate future drug discovery efforts for both familial and idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

A combination of cryo-electron microscopy of TPX2 bound to microtubules and in vitro reconstitution experiments reveals a novel microtubule interaction mode that explains how TPX2 promotes microtubule nucleation and stabilization.

AMPylation of BiP allosterically interferes with stimulation of its ATPase activity by J-proteins that is required for high affinity substrate binding.

An RNA enzyme is shown to function as a reverse transcriptase, an activity thought to be crucial for the transition from RNA to DNA genomes during the early history of life on Earth.