News & Events
Salmonella Typhimurium has a sweet tooth
A recent Nature Communications paper by the Hardt group (IMB), in collaboration with the Sauer group (IMSB) and the von Mering group (University of Zurich), highlights the essential role of monosaccharides in Salmonella Typhimurium colonization across various murine models with distinct gut microbiomes.
Cryo-EM structure of the botulinum neurotoxin A/SV2B complex and its implications for translocation
The recent Nature Communications paper by the group of Volodymyr Korkhov (IMBB, ETHZ & PSI) in collaboration with the group of Richard Kammerer (PSI), provides insights into recognition of botulinum neurotoxin BoNT/A1 by its receptor SV2B, and into the pH-dependent conformational changes in the toxin relevant to its mechanism of action.
Single-stranded DNA binding to PafBC triggers the mycobacterial DNA damage response
A new study published in “Science Advances” by the Weber-Ban group (IMBB), in collaboration with members from the Glockshuber group and the cryoEM knowledge hub, uncovers how the mycobacterial DNA damage response is triggered through allosteric activation of the transcription factor PafBC by ssDNA binding.
The dark side of fluorescent protein tagging – the impact of protein tags on biomolecular condensation
A recent paper by the Weis group (IBC) raises concerns about biomolecular condensation experiments with tagged proteins highlighting the need for caution when interpreting them. Focusing on the P-body protein Dhh1 they show that fluorescent proteins can dramatically alter condensate properties in vivo and in vitro.
C-terminal amides mark proteins for degradation via SCF–FBXO31
A recent “Nature” paper by the groups of Jacob Corn (IMHS, D-BIOL) and Jeffrey Bode (D-CHAB) reveals how cells remove chemically damaged proteins. They discovered that the human SCF–FBXO31 complex scans proteins for C-terminal amidation, a sign of oxidative damaged, and induces their degradation.