Publications by authors named "William M Parks"
Cells regulate adhesion in response to internally generated and externally applied forces. Integrins connect the extracellular matrix to the cytoskeleton and provide cells with mechanical anchorages and signaling platforms. Here we show that cyclic forces applied to a fibronectin-integrin α5β1 bond switch the bond from a short-lived state with 1 s lifetime to a long-lived state with 100 s lifetime.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Microcin B17 (MccB17) is a toxic peptide that disrupts the bacterial enzyme DNA gyrase, responsible for supercoiling DNA, but its precise action on gyrase is not fully understood.
- Recent experiments showed that altering MccB17 at high pH causes changes in specific amino acids, rendering the modified toxin inactive, indicating those amino acids are crucial for its function.
- Molecular modeling has been used to propose a 3D structure of MccB17, leading to discussions about its potential interactions with metal ions and the implications for understanding its mechanism of action.