X-ray crystallography articles within Nature

Featured

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Biochemical screening and optimization identify small molecules that inhibit the formation of lipoprotein(a), and these inhibitors reduce the levels of Lp(a) in several animal models, suggesting that they could provide a therapeutic option in humans.

    • Nuria Diaz
    • , Carlos Perez
    •  & Laura F. Michael

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ultrafast time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography is used to investigate a photodissociation reaction in a protein, revealing the strong impact of the pump laser fluence on the structural changes  and the reaction mechanism.

    • Thomas R. M. Barends
    • , Alexander Gorel
    •  & Ilme Schlichting

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The prokaryotic non-enzymatic effector protein Cam1 mediates CRISPR immunity by binding tetra-adenylate second messengers and forming a pore in the membrane that induces membrane depolarization and growth arrest.

    • Christian F. Baca
    • , You Yu
    •  & Luciano A. Marraffini

  • Article
    | Open Access

    X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, structural modelling, biochemistry, cell biology, and evolutionary analysis enable characterization of ORF2p, the reverse transcriptase of the ancient ‘parasitic’ LINE-1 retrotransposon that has written around one-third of the human genome.

    • Eric T. Baldwin
    • , Trevor van Eeuwen
    •  & Martin S. Taylor

  • Article
    | Open Access

    X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM and biochemical analysis provide insight into the assembly of the bacterial Gabija complex, an anti-phage system, and reveal how viruses can evade this defence mechanism.

    • Sadie P. Antine
    • , Alex G. Johnson
    •  & Philip J. Kranzusch

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The endoribonuclease PUCH, a trimer of Schlafen-like-domain proteins, initiates piRNA processing in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans through 5′-end piRNA precursor cleavage.

    • Nadezda Podvalnaya
    • , Alfred W. Bronkhorst
    •  & René F. Ketting

  • Article |

    X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy analyses of Lettuce—a DNA mimic of GFP—bound to various fluorophores reveal previously unknown structures of DNA that rival analogous RNAs in complexity.

    • Luiz F. M. Passalacqua
    • , Michael T. Banco
    •  & Adrian R. Ferré-D’Amaré

  • Article |

    A new specific, small-molecule activator of the PI3Kα isoform (UCL-TRO-1938) identified through high-throughput screening can transiently activate PI3K signalling and biological responses in cells and tissues, with potential therapeutic applications in tissue protection and regeneration.

    • Grace Q. Gong
    • , Benoit Bilanges
    •  & Bart Vanhaesebroeck

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Using serial femtosecond X-ray cystallography, we provide structural insights into the final reaction step of Kok’s photosynthetic water oxidation cycle, specifically the S3→[S4]→S0 transition where O2 is formed.

    • Asmit Bhowmick
    • , Rana Hussein
    •  & Vittal K. Yachandra

  • Article
    | Open Access

    One picosecond after photoactivation, isomerized retinal pulls away from half of its numerous interactions with its binding pocket, and the excess of the photon energy is released through an anisotropic protein breathing motion in the direction of the extracellular space.

    • Thomas Gruhl
    • , Tobias Weinert
    •  & Valerie Panneels

  • Article |

    The structural basis for the molecular mechanism of recognition of different IgM forms by the IgM receptor FcμR is determined using crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy.

    • Yaxin Li
    • , Hao Shen
    •  & Junyu Xiao

  • Article |

    A structural analysis focusing on plant immunity reveals how LRR-containing receptor-like proteins recognize pathogenic ligands and consequently become activated, with the data suggesting that these proteins target pathogens through two different mechanisms.

    • Yue Sun
    • , Yan Wang
    •  & Jijie Chai

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A structure of the MRAS–SHOC2–PP1C complex supports a RAS-driven and multi-molecular model for RAF activation in which individual RAS–GTP molecules recruit RAF–14-3-3 and SHOC2–PP1C to activate the downstream pathway.

    • Zachary J. Hauseman
    • , Michelle Fodor
    •  & Daniel A. King

  • Article |

    The molecular determinants for primer synthesis are identified within the catalytic domain of primase-polymerase enzymes, elucidating the mechanisms underlying initiation of primer synthesis.

    • Arthur W. H. Li
    • , Katerina Zabrady
    •  & Aidan J. Doherty

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A study using a biochemical screen of 57 phages in two bacterial species identifies and characterizes proteins enabling phages to evade CBASS and Pycsar immune systems, and describes the mechanisms involved.

    • Samuel J. Hobbs
    • , Tanita Wein
    •  & Philip J. Kranzusch

  • Article |

    A bacterial enzyme is characterized and demonstrated to have Ni2+-dependent activity and high specificity for free guanidine enabling the bacteria to use guanidine as the sole nitrogen source for growth.

    • D. Funck
    • , M. Sinn
    •  & J. S. Hartig

  • Article |

    X-ray crystal structures of TokK, a cobalamin- or B12-dependent radical SAM methylase, provide insight into how these enzymes use sequential radical-mediated methylations to assemble the C6 side chain of carbapenem antibiotics.

    • Hayley L. Knox
    • , Erica K. Sinner
    •  & Squire J. Booker

  • Article |

    Unphosphorylated PINK1 of Pediculus humanus corporis forms a dimerized state before undergoing trans-autophosphorylation, and phosphorylated PINK1 undergoes a conformational change in the N-lobe to produce its phosphorylated, ubiquitin-binding state.

    • Zhong Yan Gan
    • , Sylvie Callegari
    •  & David Komander

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Structural analysis of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae 80S ribosome trapped in an intermediate translocation state shows stabilization of codon–anticodon interactions by eukaryote-specific elements of the 80S ribosome, eEF2 and tRNA and demonstrates a major role for eEF2 in maintaining the directionality of translocation.

    • Muminjon Djumagulov
    • , Natalia Demeshkina
    •  & Gulnara Yusupova

  • Article |

    Bacteria in the human gut and oral microbiome encode enzymes that selectively phosphorylate the antidiabetic drug acarbose—an inhibitor of both human and bacterial α-glucosidases—resulting in its inactivation and limiting the drug's effects on the ability of the host to metabolize complex carbohydrates.

    • Jared Balaich
    • , Michael Estrella
    •  & Mohamed S. Donia

  • Article |

    Structural studies of the complex of anaplastic lymphoma kinase and leukocyte tyrosine kinase and their activating cytokines identify unique architectural features of the complex, and provide a novel mechanistic paradigm among receptor tyrosine kinases.

    • Steven De Munck
    • , Mathias Provost
    •  & Savvas N. Savvides

  • Article |

    Crystal structures of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) glycoprotein E2 in complex with CD81 reveal the conformational changes that occur in E2 after binding of CD81 and the effects of pH on binding affinity.

    • Ashish Kumar
    • , Reafa A. Hossain
    •  & Joseph Marcotrigiano

  • Article |

    Structural and mechanistic data of the ADP-ribosyltransferase DarT demonstrate the role of ADP-ribosylation of DNA by this enzyme in generating toxicity and regulating cellular signalling processes in bacteria.

    • Marion Schuller
    • , Rachel E. Butler
    •  & Ivan Ahel

  • Article |

    The human monoclonal antibody S2X259 cross-reacts with spike proteins from all clades of sarbecovirus, and provides prophylactic and therapeutic protection in vivo against parental SARS-CoV-2 and emerging variants of concern.

    • M. Alejandra Tortorici
    • , Nadine Czudnochowski
    •  & Matteo Samuele Pizzuto

  • Article |

    A NOS bridge between cysteine and lysine residues serves as an allosteric redox switch in the transaldolase enzyme of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, demonstrating the existence of protein regulatory switches that contain covalent crosslinks other than disulfides.

    • Marie Wensien
    • , Fabian Rabe von Pappenheim
    •  & Kai Tittmann

  • Article |

    Serial synchrotron crystallography reveals the structure of the human glycine transporter GlyT1, showing how a state-specific inhibitor exerts its effects, and potentially informing the design of new GlyT1 inhibitors to treat a range of disorders of the central nervous system.

    • Azadeh Shahsavar
    • , Peter Stohler
    •  & Poul Nissen

  • Article |

    Structural analyses of the type III CRISPR accessory protein Card1, which induces dormancy in infected hosts to provide immunity against phage infection, reveal the mechanisms by which it cleaves single-stranded RNA and DNA.

    • Jakob T. Rostøl
    • , Wei Xie
    •  & Luciano A. Marraffini

  • Article |

    Time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography is used to reveal the structural changes that stabilize the charge-separation steps of electron-transfer reactions in the photosynthetic reaction centre of Blastochloris viridis on a timescale of picoseconds.

    • Robert Dods
    • , Petra Båth
    •  & Richard Neutze

  • Article |

    The RNA polymerase from the crAss-like bacteriophage phi14:2, which is translocated into the host cell with phage DNA and transcribes early phage genes, is structurally most similar to eukaryotic RNA interference polymerases, suggesting that the latter have a phage origin.

    • Arina V. Drobysheva
    • , Sofia A. Panafidina
    •  & Maria L. Sokolova

  • Article |

    Crystal structures of the MEK kinase bound to the scaffold protein KSR and various MEK inhibitors, including the anti-cancer drug trametinib, reveal the molecular and functional mechanisms behind MEK inhibition.

    • Zaigham M. Khan
    • , Alexander M. Real
    •  & Arvin C. Dar

  • Article |

    Structures of prokaryotic homologues of STING permit the reconstruction of the evolutionary trajectory of its incorporation into metazoan innate immunity, and reveal a role for the conserved cGAS–STING pathway in prokaryotic defence against bacteriophages.

    • Benjamin R. Morehouse
    • , Apurva A. Govande
    •  & Philip J. Kranzusch

  • Article |

    Structural determination of the salicylic-acid-binding core of Arabidopsis NPR4 sheds light on the mechanisms through which this plant hormone interacts with its receptors, providing insights that are of potential use in engineering enhanced immunity.

    • Wei Wang
    • , John Withers
    •  & Ning Zheng

  • Article |

    Biochemical, structural and functional studies on the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) papain-like protease PLpro reveal that it regulates host antiviral responses by preferentially cleaving the ubiquitin-like interferon-stimulated gene 15 protein (ISG15) and identify this protease as a potential therapeutic target for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

    • Donghyuk Shin
    • , Rukmini Mukherjee
    •  & Ivan Dikic

  • Article |

    Structures of the acetohydroxyacid synthase complexes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Arabidopsis thaliana provide insights into the biosynthesis of and feedback inhibition by branched-chain amino acids.

    • Thierry Lonhienne
    • , Yu Shang Low
    •  & Luke W. Guddat

Browse broader subjects

Browse narrower subjects

Browse X-ray crystallography across other nature.com journals