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Biophysics is the study of physical phenomena and physical processes in living things, on scales spanning molecules, cells, tissues and organisms. Biophysicists use the principles and methods of physics to understand biological systems. It is an interdisciplinary science, closely related to quantitative and systems biology.
An experimental method to study how cells sense and react to external mechanical forces combines controlled mechanical stimulation using nanopipettes with fluorescence imaging of membrane tension. This approach facilitates the study of mechanosensitive ion channels and the propagation of cell membrane tension.
A clear picture of how and why cells inevitably lose viability is still lacking. A dynamical systems view of starving bacteria points to a continuous energy expenditure needed for maintaining the right osmotic pressure as an important factor.
Liquid droplets form in cells to concentrate specific biomolecules (while excluding others) in order to perform specific functions. The molecular mechanisms that determine whether different macromolecules undergo co-partitioning or exclusion has so far remained elusive. Now, two studies uncover key principles underlying this selectivity.
The TREK K2P channel activity is dynamically regulated by protein kinase-dependent signaling pathways involved in the development of various human diseases. Here, the authors report how phosphorylation at the proximal C-terminus induces allosteric deactivation of the selectivity filter gate.
The mechanical properties of spider silk are a consequence of the structural organisation of proteins known as spidroins. Here the authors investigate the structure of the fibers formed by a C-terminal domain of a major spidroin: the study elucidates the mechanisms by which spidroins are transformed from soluble form into a fiber.
An experimental method to study how cells sense and react to external mechanical forces combines controlled mechanical stimulation using nanopipettes with fluorescence imaging of membrane tension. This approach facilitates the study of mechanosensitive ion channels and the propagation of cell membrane tension.
A clear picture of how and why cells inevitably lose viability is still lacking. A dynamical systems view of starving bacteria points to a continuous energy expenditure needed for maintaining the right osmotic pressure as an important factor.
Liquid droplets form in cells to concentrate specific biomolecules (while excluding others) in order to perform specific functions. The molecular mechanisms that determine whether different macromolecules undergo co-partitioning or exclusion has so far remained elusive. Now, two studies uncover key principles underlying this selectivity.