Structural response of G protein binding to the cyclodepsipeptide inhibitor FR900359 probed by NMR spectroscopy.

The cyclodepsipeptide FR900359 (FR) and its analogs are able to selectively inhibit the class of G proteins by blocking GDP/GTP exchange. The inhibitor binding site of G has been characterized by X-ray crystallography, and various binding and functional studies have determined binding kinetics and mode of inhibition. Here we investigate isotope-labeled FR bound to the membrane-anchored G protein heterotrimer by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) and in solution by liquid-state NMR.

Time-resolved cryo-EM of G-protein activation by a GPCR.

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) activate heterotrimeric G proteins by stimulating guanine nucleotide exchange in the Gα subunit. To visualize this mechanism, we developed a time-resolved cryo-EM approach that examines the progression of ensembles of pre-steady-state intermediates of a GPCR-G-protein complex. By monitoring the transitions of the stimulatory G protein in complex with the β-adrenergic receptor at short sequential time points after GTP addition, we identified the conformational trajectory underlying G-protein activation and functional dissociation from the receptor.

Cryo-EM structure of cell-free synthesized human histamine 2 receptor/G complex in nanodisc environment.

Here we describe the cryo-electron microscopy structure of the human histamine 2 receptor (HR) in an active conformation with bound histamine and in complex with G heterotrimeric protein at an overall resolution of 3.4 Å. The complex was generated by cotranslational insertion of the receptor into preformed nanodisc membranes using cell-free synthesis in E.

A virtual library of small molecules mimicking dipeptides.

Virtual combinatorial libraries are prevalent in drug discovery due to improvements in the prediction of synthetic reactions that can be performed. This has gone hand in hand with the development of virtual screening capabilities to effectively screen the large chemical spaces spanned by exhaustive enumeration of reaction products. In this study, we generated a small-molecule dipeptide mimic library to target proteins binding small peptides.

Microbial processes with the potential to mobilize As from a circumneutral-pH mixture of flotation and roaster tailings.

The Northwest Tailings Containment Area at the inactive Giant Mine (Canada) contains a complex mixture of arsenic-containing substances, including flotation tailings (84.8 wt%; with 0.4 wt% residual S), roaster calcine wastes (14.