Bond PJ
Spike-Independent Infection of Human Coronavirus 229E in Bat Cells
Many viruses, including coronaviruses, originated from bats. Yet, we know little about how these viruses switch between hosts and enter human populations. Coronaviruses have succeeded in establishing in humans at least five times, including endemic coronaviruses and the recent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
ReadNature-inspired synthetic oligourea foldamer channels allow water transport with high salt rejection
Biomimetic membranes incorporating artificial water channels (AWCs) are being developed for industrial water purification. Designing AWCs to achieve high water permeation with salt rejection is a challenge. We designed and synthesized oligourea foldamers, which form predictable helical structures that can be used to create biomimetic porin-like architectures. Two of these foldamers (H2OC1 and H2OC2) allow superior water permeability and almost total salt rejection across lipid membranes. Solid-state NMR, cryo-EM, and molecular dynamics analyses suggest proper insertion of foldamers into lipid vesicles. The H2OC1 crystal structure shows hydrophilic pores of diameters 4.8 and 6.4 Å. The oligourea helices pack together by hydrophobic and salt bridge interactions to build two channel-like assemblies. Besides their proteolytic stability and microbial resistance, the sequence of foldamers can be tailored to regulate selectivity. The ease of designing, synthesizing, and purifying oligourea foldamers is an added advantage. Our findings can help to develop novel AWCs for water purification applications.
ReadDengue Virus Capsid Protein Facilitates Genome Compaction and Packaging
Keywords: dengue; RNA structure; RNA–protein interactions; virus packaging
ReadObservation of multiple protein temperature transitions dependent upon the chemical environment
Surgical site infections (SSI) are a clinical and economic burden. Suture-associated SSI may develop when bacteria colonize the suture surface and form biofilms that are resistant to antibiotics.
ReadATP binding by an F1Fo ATP synthase ε subunit is pH dependent, suggesting a diversity of ε subunit functional regulation in bacteria
F-type ATP synthases synthesize ATP, the universal energy source in most living cells. The enzyme consists of a membrane embedded Fo domain, which is composed of the membrane embedded proteolipid ring (c subunits), the collar-like a subunit which is asymmetrically wrapped around the c-ring, and the b subunit dimer which links the membrane embedded c-subunit ring and a subunit to the F1 domain.
ReadSARS-CoV-2 spike protein as a bacterial lipopolysaccharide delivery system in an overzealous inflammatory cascade
Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, spike protein, lipopolysaccharide, TLR4, hyperinflammation
ReadSARS-CoV-2 spike protein as a bacterial lipopolysaccharide delivery system in an overzealous inflammatory cascade
Pulmonary and systemic hyperinflammation are some of the prominent hallmarks of severe COVID-19 disease.
ReadBinding properties of the anti-TB drugs bedaquiline and TBAJ-876 to a mycobacterial F-ATP synthase
Tuberculosis (TB), the deadly disease caused by *Mycobacterium tuberculosis* (*Mtb*), kills more people worldwide than any other bacterial infectious disease. There has been a recent resurgence of TB drug discovery activities, resulting in the identification of a number of novel [enzyme inhibitors](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/enzyme-inhibitor "Learn more about enzyme inhibitors from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages").
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