Our genome contains DNA from ancestral retroviral infections. These stretches of DNA are not usually harmful unless the cell’s normal ability to regulate them is lost, then their expression can potentially lead to disease. Yorgo Modis’ group, in the University of Cambridge Molecular Immunity Unit at the LMB, have solved the structure of a master regulator of integrated retroviral DNA, KAP1, providing mechanistic understanding into the function of KAP1 in silencing retroviral insertions.
Insights into how KAP1 silences viral origin DNA in our genomes
Functionalized graphene sheets on gold grids aid structure determination by electron cryo-microscopy
With the ‘resolution revolution’ of recent years, it should in principle be possible to determine atomic resolution structures of any proteins using electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM). However, in practice, preparation of frozen samples that are suitable for high resolution imaging is a barrier to progress.
Decoding how detection of odours leads to diverse behaviours in flies
A novel mode of RNA recognition based on structure not sequence
Our genetic code is translated from DNA into proteins through an intermediate molecule: messenger RNA (mRNA). One major way in which synthesis of proteins can be regulated is through turnover of mRNA; less protein is produced from a short-lived mRNA molecule. The signal for the degradation of a particular mRNA is the removal of a stretch of adenosines (As) at the end of the molecule, known as the poly(A) tail.
Creating an entire bacterial genome with a compressed genetic code
Jason Chin’s group in the LMB’s PNAC Division have, for the first time, synthesised the entire genome of a commonly used model organism, the bacterium E. coli. There has only been one previous example of synthesis of an entire genome: for the Mycoplasma bacterial genome, which consists of approximately 1 million bases. Over the last 5 years, Jason’s group have developed a robust method for assembly of large pieces of synthetic DNA. This has enabled them to synthesise the entire E.
How tighter ligand binding in drug target cell-surface receptors is achieved
Much of the communication in cells is dependent on the presence of cell-surface receptors that detect signals in the form of messenger molecules called ligands. One large family of receptors are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). This family includes a number of important drug targets, so understanding their structure and function are important. Their name derives from the fact that the receptor must couple with a G protein in order to function.