Publications by authors named "D A Agard"

Single-particle analysis by Cryo-electron microscopy (CryoEM) provides direct access to the conformation of each macromolecule. However, the image's signal-to-noise ratio is low, and some form of classification is usually performed at the image processing level to allow structural modeling. Classical classification methods imply the existence of a discrete number of structural conformations.

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The cilium is a microtubule-based organelle critical for many cellular functions. Its assembly initiates at a basal body and continues as an axoneme that projects out of the cell to form a functional cilium. This assembly process is tightly regulated.

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Article Synopsis
  • Viral genomes are most susceptible to host defenses at the beginning of infection, making early protection crucial.
  • Jumbo phages like ΦKZ create a phage nucleus to safeguard their DNA, but the process before this nucleus forms involves an early phage infection (EPI) vesicle that interacts with host proteins.
  • The EPI vesicle helps protect the viral genome, facilitates early transcription with vRNAP, and keeps out harmful enzymes, ensuring effective gene expression and safe genome transfer to the developing nucleus.
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Basal bodies (BBs) are conserved eukaryotic structures that organize cilia. They are comprised of nine, cylindrically arranged, triplet microtubules (TMTs) connected to each other by inter-TMT linkages which stabilize the structure. Poc1 is a conserved protein important for BB structural integrity in the face of ciliary forces transmitted to BBs.

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Single-particle cryo-EM is widely used to determine enzyme-nucleosome complex structures. However, cryo-EM sample preparation remains challenging and inconsistent due to complex denaturation at the air-water interface (AWI). Here, to address this issue, we develop graphene-oxide-coated EM grids functionalized with either single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or thiol-poly(acrylic acid-co-styrene) (TAASTY) co-polymer.

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