structural-biology

Collagen is often described as the body’s natural scaffolding. It gives strength and structure to skin, bones, tendons, organs, and many other tissues. For decades, biology textbooks have shown collagen as a long, stiff, rod-shaped molecule. But a surprising new study suggests that picture is only part of the story. Researchers at the Center for […] The post Our body’s most abundant protein behav…

Collagen, the protein that builds skin, bones, tendons and organs, exists inside cells as a liquid-like droplet rather than the long, rigid rod seen in textbooks over the last half century, according to a new study from the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona.

It offers researchers an unprecedented view of one of the most complex regions of the brain

Tiny lab-grown brain models and the particles they release may reveal hidden differences among Alzheimer’s patients. Personalized treatment remains one of the biggest challenges in Alzheimer’s disease. Two patients can receive the same medication for symptoms such as depression, anxiety, or agitation and experience very different outcomes, leaving doctors with few ways to predict who [...]

Nature Communications, Published online: 12 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74199-2 Ribosomes are crucial for protein synthesis and managing cellular stress. Here, authors show that ribosomal protein L11 acts as a global regulator, coordinating complex internal signaling to ensure proper bacterial survival during environmental stress.

Origami masters turn simple sheets of paper into ornate sculptures. In the origami of life, our cells must fold proteins into specific three-dimensional shapes before they can carry out their biological jobs.

In a landmark achievement in biological imaging, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley and Biohub today announced the successful demonstration of the laser phase plate, a novel device that dramatically improves the contrast of images produced by cryo-electron microscopes, opening up an entirely new view of human biology.

A new Northwestern Medicine study has demonstrated that proteins studied in simplified laboratory conditions don’t behave the same way in the human body, according to the study published in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. The post Physiological Factors Reshape How Drugs and Proteins Interact appeared first on News Center .

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 11 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01986-w Zollo et al. examine DRP1 behaviour at mitochondria: DRP1 diffuses along mitochondria in helical-like patterns influenced by MID49/MID51, scanning the organelle surface and stalling at preconstricted fission sites.

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 11 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01985-x Wang, Liang and colleagues show that the TEAD1 transcription factor can organize micrometre-sized nuclear biomolecular condensates independently of active transcription. TEAD1 condensates may act as depots for excess TEAD1.

Nature, Published online: 10 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10640-2 Structures of the AGO maturation complex reveal how chaperones and an RNA duplex drive assembly of the RNA-induced silencing complex.

Nature, Published online: 10 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10661-x Structures of the distinct binding poses of three agonistic peptide toxins—bullet-ant-derived toxin δ-paraponeritoxin-Pc1a, cone snail ι-conotoxin RXIA and the globular β-scorpion toxin Cn2—on the human Nav1.6–β1 channel complex illustrate a diversity in binding poses and mechanisms of action.

This work extends the geometric framework introduced in Geometric Dynamics of Human Olfactory Identity toward a general theory of biological states based on manifold geometry, structural stability, and spectral organization. Starting from high-dimensional olfactory population data, a reduced biological manifold is constructed through covariance analysis and spectral decomposition. Within this man…

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 10 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41557-026-02155-0 The extent to which crystal packing constrains protein dynamics is hard to decipher. Now a combination of NMR, crystallography and molecular dynamics simulations show that intermolecular contacts can slow ring flips down in crystals or accelerated them in complexes. A thermodynamic and structural analysis provides in…

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 10 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01974-0 Oshio, Shiiba and colleagues show that HMOX2, which catalyses haem degradation, supplies haem-derived iron to mitochondria at ER–mitochondria contact sites in a process mediated by the mitochondrial ubiquitin ligase MITOL, also known as MARCH5/MARCHF5.

One of the most detailed maps to date of meningioma -- the most common brain tumor in adults -- reveals how the tumor's surrounding environment helps drive disease behavior and patient outcomes, according to new research from Mayo Clinic.