Molecular Biology
PRDM9 forms a trimer by interactions within the zinc finger arrayPRDM9 forms a trimer as a soluble protein and in complex with DNA mediated by the ZnF domain. Five ZnFs are already sufficient for multimerization and only one DNA molecule is complexed in the trimer.
Membrane curvature sensing of the lipid-anchored K-Ras small GTPaseProteolipid nanoassemblies of K-Ras and lipids in the plasma membrane sense changing membrane curvature architecture and convert mechanical perturbations to mitogenic signaling.
Human DNA polymerase delta requires an iron–sulfur cluster for high-fidelity DNA synthesisThe iron–sulfur cluster in human DNA polymerase delta has an impact on DNA polymerase and exonuclease activities and can hence influence the fidelity of DNA synthesis.
Assembly mechanisms of the bacterial cytoskeletal protein FilPFilP is a coiled-coil protein that self-assembles into striated filaments and meshwork that shares structural and biochemical characteristics with metazoan intermediate filaments.
CRISPR-induced double-strand breaks trigger recombination between homologous chromosome armsCRISPR–Cas9 enables recombination between homologous chromosome arms at predefined sites and also underscores the need for caution when applying CRISPR technologies in translational medicine.
Molecular characterization of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii telomeres and telomerase mutantsThis study characterizes the sequence, end structure, and length distribution of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii telomeres and shows that telomerase mutants are defective in telomere maintenance.
ATP hydrolysis by KaiC promotes its KaiA binding in the cyanobacterial circadian clock systemATP hydrolysis in the KaiC hexamer triggers the exposure of its C-terminal segments into the solvent so as to capture KaiA, providing mechanistic insights into the circadian periodicity regulation.
Robust repression of tRNA gene transcription during stress requires protein arginine methylationThis work examines how protein arginine methylation of Rpc31, a subunit of RNA Pol III, promotes negative regulation of tRNA biogenesis in the context of cellular stress.
PKAc is not required for the preerythrocytic stages of Plasmodium bergheiThe mutant salivary gland sporozoites lacking PKAc are able to glide, invade hepatocytes, and mature into hepatic merozoites, which release successfully from the merosome, however, fail to initiate blood stage infection when inoculated into mice.