Calcium is important in bones and in brains. But which brain regions have a lot of calcium? Do disease states affect calcium levels? A new tool is being developed to find out.
Category: proteins
How to distinguish two similar chemical functional groups
Distinguishing sulfation from phosphorylation
What gives bird feathers such vivid colors?
Birds have a unique way of creating color in their wings and this is how they have become so colorful.
Prioritizing study of novel proteins
How scientists figure out what enzymes to study
Towards enzymatic hydrocarbon remediation
Towards enzymatic bioremediation of oil spills
Targeting a myosin motor to treat malaria
Title: Peptide Probes for Plasmodium falciparum MyoA Tail Interacting Protein (MTIP): Exploring the Druggability of the Malaria Parasite Motor Complex Authors: Charlie N. Saunders, Ernesto Cota, Jake Baum, and Edward W. Tate Journal: ACS Chemical Biology Year: 2020 Malaria is one of the world’s oldest known…
Looking for Viruses in Wild Bats
Cataloguing viruses in bats and other animals may help predict or trace viral transmission to humans in the future.
Polishing a Drug Lead: A Replacement for Opioids Reaches Clinical Trials
Many molecules can decrease enzymatic breakdown of our body’s natural painkillers…but which one is fit to be the best new drug?
Pathogenic E. coli Can Survive Stomach Acid…For Now
Infected cattle can transmit E. coli to humans through contaminated ground beef, but scientists are looking for a solution.
An alternative to isolating plant drugs
Discovery of the biosynthesis of a FDA-approved plant drug
Life in the Hot Springs: Bacterial Tricks for Thermal Stability
When cooking an egg, heat denatures proteins in the egg. How does a thermophilic bacteria prevent its proteins from denaturing too?
“Mix n’ Match” Metabolisms
“Jailbreaking” your smartphone is one thing—but what if you could jailbreak nature itself?
Harnessing an enzyme’s full potential by locking it in a protein cage
Researchers use a naturally crystalline protein to act as a cage to hold another enzyme. This assembly can then be used to turn waste cooking oil into biodiesel.