research advances

Synopses of important developments in the field of structural biology and structural genomics, including advances from the Protein Structure Initiative. The featured articles and technical highlights are specially written for the Structural Biology Knowledgebase, while the research highlights are taken from NPG publications.

April 2009

featured articles
- Unique SARS
  The solution structure of the SARS unique domain confirms that it binds single-stranded RNA and hints at its function.
  J. Virol. 83, 1823-1836 (2009)
- The elusive helicase
  A combination of NMR, mutagenesis and biochemistry reveals the dynamic nature of the eIF4A/4G/4H helicase complex.
  Cell 136, 447-470 (2009)
research highlights
- Good vibrations
  A microscopy platform that brings magnetic resonance imaging to the nanometer scale offers a promising new tool for three-dimensional molecular visualization.
  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106, 1313-1317 (2009)
- Setting a nanoparticle trap
  Researchers developed a hybrid microfluidic–optical trapping device to trap and transport very small nanoparticles and DNA molecules.
  Opt. Lett. 29, 1209-1211 (2004)
technical highlights
- Powerful NMR
  Achieving solution structures of proteins that produce NMR spectra with a high degree of signal overlap will be easier with a new approach to NMR data acquisition.
  Angewandte Chemie 48, 1479-1483 (2009)
- Model proteins in your lunch break
  How to build yourself a three-dimensional protein model in under 2 hours.
  Nature Protocols 4, 1-13 (2009)