Browse our latest Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics articles

Fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy is implemented for detection of up to four molecular species, allowing users to quantify molecular interactions and stoichiometry of multicomponent complexes in live cells, in a wide range of biological processes, from membrane signaling to viral assembly.

Single-molecule fluorescence experiments reveal transcription initiation proceeds via a 'bind-unwind-load-and-lock' mechanism where promoter DNA unwinds outside the RNA polymerase (RNAP) cleft, the unwound template-DNA loads into the cleft, and RNAP 'locks' the template-DNA by closing the RNAP clamp module.

Quantitative FRET imaging in moving C. elegans shows that stretch-unfolding of twitchin kinase occurs in the active muscle, whereby mechanical activity titrates the signaling pathway of this cytoskeletal kinase.

The structure of the Mycobacterium smegmatis CIII₂CIV₂ respiratory supercomplex with telacebec (Q203) bound shows how this tuberculosis drug candidate blocks respiration in mycobacteria.

The RNA-mediated higher order assembly of TDP-43, a protein associated with neurodegenerative diseases, preserves its solubility by reducing the risk of multivalent interactions between low complexity domains.

A pentameric channel-receptor was studied by combining allosteric mutations, electrophysiology, fluorescent reporters and normal mode analysis, to dissect the long-range allosteric couplings specifically involved in its pre-activation and activation.

Time-resolved transition metal ion fluorescence resonance energy transfer using a fluorescent, noncanonical amino acid donor and metal ion acceptor measures distances and distance distributions in proteins, allowing the equilibrium distributions among conformational states to be accurately determined.

Dinucleases, specialized enzymes that catalyze the final step in RNA degradation, have evolved independently and repeatedly to fulfill essential roles in cell growth.

GTPBP7, NSUN4, and MTERF4 facilitate maturation of the peptidyl transferase center of the mitochondrial ribosome.

Electrophysiological and structural characterizations reveal that a previously proposed ion channel responsible for sensing mechanical pain is insensitive to poking or stretching stimuli for conducting ions and may serve as a coenzyme A-binding protein instead.