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The structures of two syntaxin homologs, Sso1p and Vam3p, reveal two different conformations. The contrast between these structures suggests alternative modes of regulation for membrane fusion at different sites in the cell.
A structure of the complex of tRNAGlu and class I glutamyl-tRNA synthetase from Thermus thermophilus provides new details of tRNA recognition, and an accompanying mutational study provides a model for how a discriminating enzyme could have evolved from a less discriminating predecessor.
Chromatin insulators seem to control eukaryotic gene expression by regulating interactions between enhancers and promoters. Mounting evidence suggests that these sequences play a complex role in the regulation of transcription, perhaps mediated by changes in chromatin structure and nuclear organization.
The first time-resolved FT-IR spectroscopic study of the photoactive yellow protein addresses the conflict between the X-ray structures of two early photocycle intermediates.
Biliverdin is reduced to the potent antioxidant bilirubin in mammals and other vertebrates. The X-ray crystal structures of two biliverdin reductases, with different isomer specificities, show how substrate and cofactor bind to the enzymes and provide new insights into the mechanism of the reduction.