Biophysics

Cyclic muscle contractions reinforce the actomyosin motors and mediate the full elongation of C. elegans embryo

1. Anna Dai
2. Martine Ben Amar

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  Using continuum theory of elastic solids the authors present evidence that periodic muscle contraction leads to elongation of C. elegans embryos by storing elastic energy that is subsequently released by extending the embryo's long axis. This important finding could apply to other developmental processes and be exploited in soft robotics. The presented evidence is convincing on the phenomenological level adopted in the work. How bending energy is converted into elongation on a more microscopic level remains to be worked out.

Reviewed by eLife

The αC-β4 loop controls the allosteric cooperativity between nucleotide and substrate in the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A

1. Cristina Olivieri
2. Yingjie Wang
3. Caitlin Walker
4. Manu Veliparambil Subrahmanian
5. Kim N Ha
6. David Bernlohr
7. Jiali Gao
8. Carlo Camilloni
9. Michele Vendruscolo
10. Susan S Taylor
11. Gianluigi Veglia

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study provides an example of integrating computational and experimental approaches that lead to new insights into the energy landscape of a model kinase. Compelling use of molecular dynamics simulations and NMR spectroscopy provide a conformational description of active and excited states of the kinase; one of which has not been captured in previously solved crystal structures. Overall, this comprehensive study expands our understanding of the architecture and allosteric features of the conserved bilobal kinase domain structure.

Reviewed by eLife

Some mechanistic underpinnings of molecular adaptations of SARS-COV-2 spike protein by integrating candidate adaptive polymorphisms with protein dynamics

1. Nicholas James Ose
2. Paul Campitelli
3. Tushar Modi
4. I Can Kazan
5. Sudhir Kumar
6. Sefika Banu Ozkan

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study investigates various variants of the SARS-COV-2 spike protein using established computational methods, complemented by experimental validation efforts. The evidence, bolstered by an evolutionary approach and protein dynamics, is solid. Placing this research in the broader context of the field could further enrich the manuscript. It will interest biophysicists focused on allostery and protein evolution.

Reviewed by eLife

Mitosis sets nuclear homeostasis of cancer cells under confinement

1. Malèke Mouelhi
2. Alexis Saffon
3. Morgane Roinard
4. Hélène Delanoë-Ayari
5. Sylvain Monnier
6. Charlotte Rivière

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study describes the new observation that nuclear volume responds to confinement in a manner that requires transit through mitosis. The authors present solid evidence demonstrating that nuclear volume decreases upon nuclear envelope reformation under confinement in a manner that reestablishes a homeostatic state of nuclear envelope tension. Additional experimental support could provide a more complete case for the proposed underlying mechanisms governing this response. The work will be of broad interest to cell biologists and those interested in cell and organismal scaling.

Reviewed by eLife

Dissecting Mechanisms of Ligand Binding and Conformational Changes in the Glutamine-Binding Protein

1. Zhongying Han
2. Sabrina Panhans
3. Sophie Brameyer
4. Ecenaz Bilgen
5. Marija Ram
6. Anna Herr
7. Alessandra Narducci
8. Michael Isselstein
9. Paul D. Harris
10. Oliver Brix
11. Kirsten Jung
12. Don C. Lamb
13. Eitan Lerner
14. Douglas Griffith
15. Thomas R. Weikl
16. Niels Zijlstra
17. Thorben Cordes

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study combines a range of biophysical techniques to carry out a series of compelling experiments to explore whether glutamine binding protein binds glutamine via an induced fit or a conformational selection process. The evidence supporting the major conclusion of the work is convincing, although it may not be generalized to other protein-ligand or protein-protein systems. The work will be of broad interest to biochemists and biophysicists.

Reviewed by eLife

Structural insights into the orthosteric inhibition of P2X receptors by non-ATP analog antagonists

1. Danqi Sheng
2. Chen-Xi Yue
3. Fei Jin
4. Yao Wang
5. Muneyoshi Ichikawa
6. Ye Yu
7. Chang-Run Guo
8. Motoyuki Hattori

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study by Sheng and colleagues provides valuable insights into the mechanism of competitive inhibitors of P2X receptors. The structural and functional evidence supporting the subtype specificity of pyridoxal-5'-phosphate derivatives is compelling and provides information for designing drugs that selectively target different subtypes of P2X receptor channels. The work will be of interest to biochemists, structural biologists, and pharmacologists.

Reviewed by eLife

Microtubules under mechanical pressure can breach dense actin networks

1. Matthieu Gélin
2. Alexandre Schaeffer
3. Jérémie Gaillard
4. Christophe Guérin
5. Benoit Vianay
6. Magali Orhant-Prioux
7. Marcus Braun
8. Christophe Leterrier
9. Laurent Blanchoin
10. Manuel Théry

Reviewed by Review Commons

Diffusive mediator feedback explains the health-to-disease transition of skin inflammation

1. Maki Sudo
2. Koichi Fujimoto

Reviewed by Review Commons

Constitutive activity of ionotropic glutamate receptors via hydrophobic substitutions in the ligand-binding domain

1. Sandra Seljeset
2. Oksana Sintsova
3. Yuhong Wang
4. Hassan Y. Harb
5. Timothy Lynagh

• Curated by Biophysics Colab

  Evaluation statement (8 March 2024)

  Seljeset et al. investigate the mechanism by which NMDA receptors are activated by co-agonists glutamate and glycine. By mutating residue Asp732 in the glycine-binding site, they generate receptors activated by glutamate, and not glycine, but inhibited by glycine antagonists. Conventional and unnatural amino acid mutagenesis reveals that Asp732 interacts with nearby residues to influence channel gating as well as ligand binding. Furthermore, a homomeric receptor from Trichoplax adhaerens, which has a tyrosine in the homologous position, displays constitutive activity that becomes glycine-dependent when the tyrosine is mutated to aspartate. The study is valuable because it reveals the importance of position 732 for controlling ligand potency and channel activity in glutamate receptors, which should lead to a better understanding of how these receptors are primed for channel opening.

  Biophysics Colab recommends this study to scientists interested in the structure and function of glutamate receptors

  Biophysics Colab has evaluated this study as one that meets the following criteria:

  • Rigorous methodology
  • Transparent reporting
  • Appropriate interpretation

  (This evaluation refers to version 2 of this preprint, which has been revised in response to peer review of version 1.)

Reviewed by Biophysics Colab

A novel bivalent interaction mode underlies a non-catalytic mechanism for Pin1-mediated protein kinase C regulation

1. Xiao-Ru Chen
2. Karuna Dixit
3. Yuan Yang
4. Mark I McDermott
5. Hasan Tanvir Imam
6. Vytas A Bankaitis
7. Tatyana I Igumenova

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  Pin1 as an essential prolyl cis/trans isomerase has attracted considerable attention because this enzyme family is implicated in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. However, the requirement for its catalytic function remains a matter of dispute. The authors provide solid evidence that Pin1 modulates the activity of an important cell signaling kinase, Protein Kinase C, by a non-catalytic mechanism, acting as a chaperone to regulate the stability of this kinase.

Reviewed by eLife