Proteins and proteomics

Building a better model for drug delivery across the blood–brain barrier

Industry and academic scientists collaborated to develop a rat with humanized iron-transport receptors, enabling research into iron homeostasis and drugs that cross the brain’s barrier.

Fat synthesis enzyme crucial for milk fat and newborn growth

Researchers found that a deficiency of the fatty acid synthesis enzyme stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 reduced mammary gland function during lactation and caused low birth weight in newborns that were fed milk from enzyme-deficient glands.

Flipping lipids and slime molds

A dull first job nearly pushed JBC associate editor Todd Graham out of science. Then a slime mold project changed his path. Now, he studies membrane biology and reflects on discovery, persistence and mentoring through uncertainty.

The molecular orchestra of memory

Calcium, calmodulin and calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II form a molecular axis that turns fleeting neural activity into lasting memories. New research shows how memories are stabilized, and possibly even protected or repaired.

Differences in pili structure modulate bacterial behavior

Researchers demonstrate how small changes in the structure of hair-like protein appendages can affect the behavior of Acinetobacter bacteria.

Disease-linked mutations disrupt protein phase behavior

Researchers find that pathogenic missense mutations are enriched threefold in phrase-separating intrinsically disordered regions of proteins.

Novel inhibitor targets RAS-driven cancers

Researchers in Louisville identify a small-molecule drug that blocks RALGEF signaling downstream of mutant RAS. The compound suppresses tumor growth with low toxicity, revealing a new therapeutic strategy for RAS-driven malignancies.

Catching tau in the act

Using a new proximity-labeling approach, researchers reveal how tangles of the brain-associated protein tau may disrupt RNA biology long before neurons die.

How copper delivery fuels bacterial respiration

Researchers identify the roles of several proteins in copper homeostasis in the aerobic bacterium Caulobacter vibrioides.