Publications by authors named "J Knoska"
Article Synopsis
- The main protease (M) of SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for the virus's functionality and is considered a potential target for drug development, as it is only active in its reduced form.
- When oxidized, M's activity halts but can be restored, indicating an evolutionary adaptation to oxidative environments, although the protective mechanisms haven't been fully elucidated.
- Researchers determined the crystal structure of oxidized M, revealing a disulfide bond that affects its dimer stability and crystallization, providing insights into the protein's response to oxidative stress and its structural study conditions.*
The proteins Tpp49Aa1 and Cry48Aa1 can together act as a toxin toward the mosquito and have potential use in biocontrol. Given that proteins with sequence homology to the individual proteins can have activity alone against other insect species, the structure of Tpp49Aa1 was solved in order to understand this protein more fully and inform the design of improved biopesticides. Tpp49Aa1 is naturally expressed as a crystalline inclusion within the host bacterium, and MHz serial femtosecond crystallography using the novel nanofocus option at an X-ray free electron laser allowed rapid and high-quality data collection to determine the structure of Tpp49Aa1 at 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFree-electron lasers (FEL) are revolutionizing X-ray-based structural biology methods. While protein crystallography is already routinely performed at FELs, Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) studies of biological macromolecules are not as prevalent. SAXS allows the study of the shape and overall structure of proteins and nucleic acids in solution, in a quasi-native environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFor decades, researchers have elucidated essential enzymatic functions on the atomic length scale by tracing atomic positions in real-time. Our work builds on possibilities unleashed by mix-and-inject serial crystallography (MISC) at X-ray free electron laser facilities. In this approach, enzymatic reactions are triggered by mixing substrate or ligand solutions with enzyme microcrystals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe results of an experimental study of micro-jets produced with a gas dynamic virtual nozzle (GDVN) under the influence of an electric field are provided and discussed for the first time. The experimental study is performed with a 50% volume mixture of water and ethanol, and nitrogen focusing gas. The liquid sample and gas Reynolds numbers range from 0.
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