Observation of a single protein by ultrafast X-ray diffraction.

The idea of using ultrashort X-ray pulses to obtain images of single proteins frozen in time has fascinated and inspired many. It was one of the arguments for building X-ray free-electron lasers. According to theory, the extremely intense pulses provide sufficient signal to dispense with using crystals as an amplifier, and the ultrashort pulse duration permits capturing the diffraction data before the sample inevitably explodes.

Graphene-based phenformin carriers for cancer cell treatment: a comparative study between oxidized and pegylated pristine graphene in human cells and zebrafish.

Graphene is an attractive choice for the development of an effective drug carrier in cancer treatment due to its high adsorption area and pH-responsive drug affinity. In combination with the highly potent metabolic drug phenformin, increased doses could be efficiently delivered to cancer cells. This study compares the use of graphene oxide (GO) and polyethylene glycol stabilized (PEGylated) pristine graphene nanosheets (PGNSs) for drug delivery applications with phenformin.

Improved pH-Responsive Release of Phenformin from Low-Defect Graphene Compared to Graphene Oxide.

Graphene-based drug carriers provide a promising addition to current cancer drug delivery options. Increased accessibility of high-quality graphene made by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) makes it an attractive material to revisit in comparison to the widely studied graphene oxide (GO) in drug delivery. Here, we show the potential of repurposing the metabolic drug phenformin for cancer treatment in terms of stability, binding, and pH-responsive release.

Characterisation of a novel cold-adapted calcium-activated transglutaminase: implications for medicine and food processing.

Transglutaminases are a family of enzymes that catalyse the cross-linking of proteins by forming covalent bonds between lysine and glutamine residues in various polypeptides. Cross-linking reactions are involved in blood clots, skin formation, embryogenesis and apoptosis. Clinically, these enzymes appear to be implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, tumours and coeliac diseases.

'Birth defects' of photosystem II make it highly susceptible to photodamage during chloroplast biogenesis.

High solar flux is known to diminish photosynthetic growth rates, reducing biomass productivity and lowering disease tolerance. Photosystem II (PSII) of plants is susceptible to photodamage (also known as photoinactivation) in strong light, resulting in severe loss of water oxidation capacity and destruction of the water-oxidizing complex (WOC). The repair of damaged PSIIs comes at a high energy cost and requires de novo biosynthesis of damaged PSII subunits, reassembly of the WOC inorganic cofactors and membrane remodeling.