Unravelling the role of key amino acid residues of the parainfluenza fusion peptide in membrane fusion Parainfluenza viruses enter host cells by fusing their envelope with the cell membrane. In this process mediated by the fusion glycoprotein, the fusion peptide plays an essential role in membrane binding and triggering fusion. Previously, we demonstrated that the parainfluenza fusion peptide (PIFP) oligomerizes int

New #RSCChemBio study pinpoints how two residues (F103 + Q120) power the parainfluenza fusion peptide’s membrane activity. One’s for fusion, the other’s for the teamwork.

#OpenAccess #advancearticle #Virology #Peptides #MembraneBiology

doi.org/10.1039/D5CB...

RaPID discovery of cell-permeable helical peptide inhibitors con-taining cyclic β-amino acids against SARS-CoV-2 main protease Structurally constrained cyclic β-amino acids are attractive building blocks for peptide drugs because they induce unique and stable conformations. Introduction of (1S,2S)-2-aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acid [(1S,2S)-2-ACPC] into peptides stabilizes helical conformations, so improving proteolytic stability and cell

Tougher peptides, smarter targets 🔒🧬

Cyclic β-amino acid–based helical peptide library leads to stable, cell-permeable SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors! New #RSCChemBio #advancearticle shows off RaPID selection power 💥

doi.org/10.1039/D5CB...

Turn-on fluorescent glucose transport bioprobe enables wash-free real-time monitoring of glucose uptake activity in live cells and small organisms The direct link between sugar uptake and metabolic diseases highlights the iminent need for molecular tools to detect and evaluate alterations in sugar uptake efficiency as approaches to identify disease-relevant metabolic alterations. However, the strict requirements of facilitative glucose transporters reg

✨ Sugar, lit. ✨

GluRho is a new glucose mimic that uses GLUTs 1–4 to light up sugar transport in live cells (and flies!). Great tool for tracking uptake with no metabolic interference.
New in #RSCChemBio #OpenAccess #advancearticle

doi.org/10.1039/D4CB...

Exploring sequence- and structure-based fitness landscapes to enhance thermal resistance and activity of endoglucanase II with minimal experimental effort Enhancing the performance of cellulases at high temperatures is crucial for efficient biomass hydrolysis—a fundamental process in biorefineries. Traditional protein engineering methods, while effective, are time-consuming and labour-intensive, limiting rapid advancements. To streamline the engineering process, we t

Hotter enzymes, faster: 🔥

This #RSCChemBio study shows EVmutation outperforms FoldX in predicting cellulase variants with up to 4.4× more activity & longer life at 75 °C!
#OpenAccess #advancearticle #ProteinEngineering #Enzymes #Biotech

DOI doi.org/10.1039/D5CB...

Peptide-mediated display of Tau-derived peptide for construction of microtubule superstructures Microtubules are major cytoskeletons involved in various cellular functions, such as regulating cell shape and division and cargo transport via motor proteins. In addition to widely studied singlet mi...

In this #advancearticle Kazunori Matsuura et al., have developed an innovative peptide-based approach to construct complex microtubule superstructures, including doublets and bundles, using Tau-derived peptides! 🧬
Read the full paper here: pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...