Cellular powerplant recycles waste gases

The idea is to use the power of bacteria to turn toxic waste gases into valuable compounds such as acetate or ethanol

19-Nov-2020 - Carbon monoxide is a very poisonous gas. Humans die within minutes when they inhale it. However, some microorganisms tolerate carbon monoxide and even use it to breathe and replicate. Knowledge about how these bacteria survive opens a window into the primeval times of the earth and the origin of ...

Unexpected protein structure findings could lead to new therapies

07-Apr-2017 - Scientists have determined unexpected characteristics of a key protein linked to blood pressure control and to nerve growth, pain control and heart tissue regeneration. The findings opens doors to potential new therapies to control cardiovascular disease and pain. The protein, called AT2, is one ...

Biophysicists propose new approach for membrane protein crystallization

08-Mar-2017 - A team of scientists from the Laboratory for Advanced Studies of Membrane Proteins at MIPT, Research Center Jülich (Germany), and Institut de Biologie Structurale (France) have developed a new approach to membrane protein crystallization. For the first time, the scientists showed that membrane ...

Small droplets feel the vibe

10-Oct-2016 - A team of researchers at the University of Bristol have used ultrasonic forces to accurately pattern thousands of microscopic water-based droplets. Each droplet can be designed to perform a biochemical experiment, which could pave the way for highly efficient lab-on-a-chip devices with future ...

Breakthrough in mapping nicotine addiction could help researchers improve treatment

04-Oct-2016 - A scientific blueprint to end tobacco cravings may be on the way after researchers crystallized a protein that holds answers to how nicotine addiction occurs in the brain. The breakthrough at the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute comes after decades of failed attempts to crystallize and ...

A natural light switch

Scientists have discovered and mapped a light-sensing protein that uses vitamin B12

30-Sep-2015 - The result, derived from studying proteins from the bacterium Thermus thermophilus, involves at least two findings of broad interest. First, it expands our knowledge of the biological role of vitamin B12, which was already understood to help convert fat into energy, and to be involved in brain ...

Fighting disease atom by atom

Rice lab's atomic map of hepatitis E may reveal strategies to fight it

23-Jul-2009 - Researchers at Rice University and their international colleagues have for the first time described the atomic structure of the protein shell that carries the genetic code of hepatitis E (HEV). Their findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could mean that new ...

Morphochem announces determination of the X-ray structure of Endothelin Converting Enzyme (ECE-1) complexed with Phosphoramidon

02-Dec-2005 - Morphochem AG has announced that they have successfully achieved an important milestone in their research collaboration with Solvay Pharmaceuticals using Morphochem's structural biology tools to support their Endothelin-Converting Enzyme inhibitor program. Morphochem applied its protein ...

Morphochem and The Genetics Company announce the resolution of the X-ray structure of beta-secretase with a novel inhibitor

06-Jul-2005 - The Genetics Company, Inc. and Morphochem AG have announced that they have successfully achieved an important milestone in their research collaboration using Morphochem's structural biology tools to support the beta-secretase program of The Genetics Company. Morphochem applied its protein ...