research advances
Synopses of important developments in the field of structural biology and structural genomics, including advances from the Protein Structure Initiative. The featured articles and technical highlights are specially written for the Structural Biology Knowledgebase, while the research highlights are taken from NPG publications.
May 2011
featured articles
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Cell wall recycler
The crystal structure of the bacterial cell wall recycling protein Mpl reveals similarities as well as differences compared with functionally related Mur ligases.
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A molecular switch for neuronal growth
Proteoglycans can exert opposing effects on neuronal growth by competing to control the oligomerization of a common cell surface receptor.
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research highlights
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Diffraction before destructionTwo recent reports demonstrate the first applications of X-ray free-electron lasers to look at biological structures.
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Protein structure: 'Shear' clarity of IKKβ crystalThe first crystal structure of IKKβ in complex with an inhibitor is now presented.
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technical highlights
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No more labeled lipids
Blocking the production of phospholipids allows for clearer NMR signals in cSPP systems.
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Beyond crystals, solutions, and powders
A new approach improves the functionality of an alternative use for synchrotron beams.
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