Evaluation and comparison of protein splicing by exogenous inteins with foreign exteins in Escherichia coli.

Protein splicing catalyzed by inteins has enabled various biotechnological applications such as protein ligation. Successful applications of inteins are often limited by splicing efficiency. Here, we report the comparison of protein splicing between 20 different inteins from various organisms in identical contexts to identify robust inteins with foreign exteins.

Obesity risk gene TMEM18 encodes a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein.

Transmembrane protein 18 (TMEM18) has previously been connected to cell migration and obesity. However, the molecular function of the protein has not yet been described. Here we show that TMEM18 localises to the nuclear membrane and binds to DNA in a sequence-specific manner.

Recent inventions on receptor tyrosine kinase RET modulation.

Rearranged during transfection, RET, is a receptor tyrosine kinase expressed in neural crest derived cell lineages. RET is activated by dimerisation facilitated by its binding to the heterodimeric complex formed by Glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) -family ligand (GFL) and GNDF-family receptor (GFR). Both GDNFs and their co-receptors are a small protein family of four members.

The structure of the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor-coreceptor complex: insights into RET signaling and heparin binding.

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a neuronal survival factor, binds its co-receptor GDNF family receptor alpha1 (GFR alpha 1) in a 2:2 ratio and signals through the receptor tyrosine kinase RET. We have solved the GDNF(2).GFR alpha 1(2) complex structure at 2.