18 January 2021
Structural biologists peer deeper into the world of bacterial photosynthesis
Researchers have used cryo-electron microscopy to determine the structures of two key photosynthetic complexes from a purple bacterium, providing new insights into how the absorption of light is wired to the storage of energy in chemical forms.
University of Sheffield researchers have used cryo-electron microscopy to determine the structures of two key photosynthetic complexes from a purple bacterium, providing new insights into how the absorption of light is wired to the storage of energy in chemical forms.
Purple phototropic bacteria contain reaction centres, which use light to power a series of electron transfers that convert light energy into chemical energy. Each reaction centre (RC) is surrounded by a light-harvesting antenna called LH1, which greatly increases the amount of light that can be used for this process. Despite being formed from a set of common building blocks, L
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IMAGE: Professor Sheena Radford FRS, Director of the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds view more
Credit: University of Leeds
The UK s leading scientific academy - the Royal Society - has awarded one of its most prestigious research professorships to an academic at the University of Leeds, to develop new ways of seeing the unseen - the way that proteins interact to shape or to destroy memories.
The award will allow Professor Sheena Radford FRS, Director of the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology at Leeds, to focus on one of the big unanswered questions in biology - the role that a protein structure called amyloid plays in both building memories that can last for decades, but also in the devastating memory loss experienced by people with neurodegenerative diseases.
Updated Jan 11, 2021 | 11:52 IST
For the first time, researchers have identified how viruses such as the poliovirus, and the common cold virus are able to package up their genetic code, allowing them to infect cells. In a first, researchers identify how viruses affect human cells by packaging up their genetic code | Photo Credit: iStock Images
Key Highlights
How do disease-causing viruses spread within the body has been a subject of research for many years
Viruses are a family of pathogens responsible for many diseases and infections
For the first time, researchers have identified how viruses can replicate, and infect human cells
Researchers unravel the process that makes viruses infectious
Researchers have for the first time identified the way viruses like the poliovirus and the common cold virus package up their genetic code, allowing them to infect cells.
The findings, published today (Friday, 8 January) in the journal
PLOS Pathogens by a team from the Universities of Leeds and York, open up the possibility that drugs or anti-viral agents can be developed that would stop such infections.
Once a cell is infected, a virus needs to spread its genetic material to other cells. This is a complex process involving the creation of what are known as virions - newly-formed infectious copies of the virus. Each virion is a protein shell containing a complete copy of the virus s genetic code. The virions can then infect other cells and cause disease.
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IMAGE: Capsid protein pentamers (subunits colour-coded) being recruited to the growing protein shell (brown) during virion assembly by formation of sequence-specific contacts between the genome (packaging signals shown as orange space-filled. view more
Credit: University of Leeds
Researchers have for the first time identified the way viruses like the poliovirus and the common cold virus package up their genetic code, allowing them to infect cells.
The findings, published today (Friday, 8 January) in the journal
PLOS Pathogens by a team from the Universities of Leeds and York, open up the possibility that drugs or anti-viral agents can be developed that would stop such infections.