The cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs) are important regulators of signal transduction and selective inhibitors of the different subtypes have great clinical potential. PDE4 inhibitors are expected to be beneficial in the treatment of inflammatory and respiratory diseases such as asthma…
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Now iSee
Ever had difficulty following a structural biology paper? Well, the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) and PLoSone have got together to provide a collection of articles available in enhanced versions utilising the iSee 3D visualisation platform. The collection, entitled ‘Structural Biology…
Strengthening Bonds
The formation of strengthening crosslinks in the triple-helical structure of collagen is crucial to its structure and function, but the exact nature of the crosslinks in collagen IV – which is found predominantly in basement membranes and forms supramolecular networks…
Targeting the Riboswitch
Recent research has shown that gene expression can be regulated at the level of mRNA by riboswitches. A riboswitch is an aptamer region on an mRNA molecule that can specifically bind a small effector molecule, causing changes in the structure…
P-Glycoprotein – A Close-up View
P-glycoprotein (Pgp), with its ability to transport a wide range of xenobiotic compounds – including drug molecules – across cell membranes, is the bane of medicinal chemists. Pgp, which probably evolved as a defense mechanism against toxic substances, is an…
Mycobacterium tuberculosis NAD+ Synthetase Characterised
The World Health Organisation estimates that one third of the world’s population is latently infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), and that ten per cent of infected individuals will develop active disease. Current treatments for tuberculosis are effective only during active…
Just Another Kinase Structure?
The Janus family of protein tyrosine kinases is comprised of four members: JAK-1, JAK-2, JAK-3 and Tyk-2. These kinases provide membrane proximal signalling through association with type 1 and type 2 cytokine receptors, phosphorylating and activating Signal Transducers and Activators…
Influenza ‘Cap Snatcher’ Identified
Seasonal epidemics of the influenza virus continue to kill hundreds of thousands of people annually, and the increasing incidence of resistance to approved drugs means that there is a pressing need for new therapies. The viral polymerase is an attractive…
X-ray Structure of Malaria Peptidase Solved
The malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, has limited capacity for de novo amino acid synthesis and relies on degradation of host haemoglobin for a supply of these essential building blocks. Haemoglobin is first degraded into di- and tri-peptides by the action…
Structure of Ebola Virus Protein Determined
Ebola virus, named after a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where it was first identified, causes a severe, often fatal haemorrhagic fever. There is no vaccine against or specific treatment for Ebola virus infection, but researchers at…
