Ebola virus (EBOV) is highly lethal due to virally encoded immune antagonists, and the combination of EBOV VP24 with karyopherin alpha (KPNA) will trigger anti-interferon (IFN) signaling. The crystal structure of VP24-KPNA5 has been proposed in recent studies, but the precise binding mechanisms are still unclear. In order to explore the VP24-KPNA5 protein binding micro-mechanisms, Molecular Dynamic

The lifetimes of protein-DNA adducts are strictly related to the various protein functions. This feature must be encoded by the amino acids located at the protein-DNA interface. The large number of structurally characterized protein-DNA complexes now available from the Protein Data Bank (PDB) allows extensive structural bioinformatics investigations on protein-DNA interfaces. The modes of protein binding

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a serious metabolic disease, and comprehensive understanding of its complex mechanism will help in preventing the onset and progression of DN. To reveal the systemic metabolic changes associated with renal injury, we performed 1H NMR-based metabonomic and multivariate analyses to analyze serum and urine obtained from a nonhuman primate model of DN. Our results indicated

Sanglifehrin A (SFA), a potent cyclophilin inhibitor produced by Streptomyces flaveolus DSM 9954, bears a unique [5.5] spirolactam moiety conjugated with a 22-membered, highly functionalized macrolide through a linear carbon chain. SFA displays a diverse range of biological activities and offers significant therapeutic potential. However, the structural complexity of SFA poses a tremendous challenge

Apolipoprotein A1 (apoA1) is a component of the high density lipoproteins (HDL) that regulates the transport of cholesterol between the liver and peripheral cells and modulates the removal of any excess of cholesterol from membranes. Any variation in apoA1 composition may modify the plasma lipid profile and be involved in atherogenesis. We investigated apoA1 composition in plasma of 6 children with

A structural polymorphism of nucleic acids, which depends on the concentration of cations and the conditions of hydration, are strongly involved with interactions between DNA and proteins. In this paper, we report that different DNA sequences bound to hyperthermostable TATA-box-binding protein (PhoTBP) at different combinations of temperature and salt concentration in in vitro selection experiments

Integral membrane proteins (IMPs) are crucial biological components, mediating the transfer of material and information between cells and their environment. Many IMPs have proven to be difficult to isolate and study. High-resolution structural information on this class of proteins is limited, largely because of difficulties in generating soluble forms of such proteins that retain native folding and

There are clearly many different philosophies associated with adapting fragment screening into mainstream Drug Discovery Lead Generation strategies. Scientists at Astex, for instance, focus entirely on strategies involving use of X-ray crystallography and NMR. However, AstraZeneca uses a number of different fragment screening strategies. One approach is to screen a 2000 compound fragment set (with

There is an ever increasing need to find surfaces that are biocompatible for applications like medical implants and microfluidics-based cell culture systems. The biocompatibility of five different surfaces with different hydrophobicity was determined using gene expression profiling as well as more conventional methods to determine biocompatibility such as cellular growth rate, morphology and the hydrophobicity

The data generated from protein fingerprints with an alpha-helical peptide array were analyzed using several statistical methods such as hierarchical clustering analysis and principal component analysis to discriminate target proteins.

"Cells do not care about mathematics" thus concluded a biologist friend after a discussion on the future of biology. And indeed, why should they care? But if we exchange the word "cell" with "rock", "Moon" or "electrons", do we have to change the sentence also? Starting from this line of thought, we review some recent developments in understanding the stochastic behavior of biological systems. We emphasize

The native intracellular environment of proteins is crowded with metabolites and macromolecules. However, most biophysical information concerning proteins is acquired in dilute solution. To determine whether there are differences in dynamics, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy can be used to measure 15N relaxation in uniformly 15N-enriched apocytochrome b5 inside living Escherichia coli and in

Microarrays are becoming pervasive in biology and can offer unparalleled insights into biological processes. This article suggests that a more considered approach to the design of array probe sequences can substantially improve the technology.

The first golden era of cancer drug development was initiated in the 1940s and gave rise to the cytotoxic agents that dominate current cancer medicine. The second golden era is now underway in which cancer genomics will direct drug development.

Correction for ‘Dynamic properties of dipeptidyl peptidase III from Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and the structural basis for its substrate specificity – a computational study’ by M. Tomin et al., Mol. BioSyst., 2017, 13, 2407–2417.

Correction for ‘Dynamic properties of dipeptidyl peptidase III from Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and the structural basis for its substrate specificity – a computational study’ by M. Tomin et al., Mol. BioSyst., 2017, 13, 2407–2417.