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BioSAXS works to uncover cellular machinery involved in regulation of DNA transcription
The biology of human diseases and disorders is highly complex. In many cases, despite a great deal of detailed structural knowledge, understanding mechanisms is still a long way off.
Fine details of transcribing DNA to RNA
RNA polymerase (RNAP) assembles an RNA strand corresponding to the DNA sequence of a gene, in a precisely choreographed series of molecular motions.
Bacterial proteins co-opt host cell skeletal elements to spread infection
Rickettsia bacteria are transmitted by the bites of infected ticks and other arthropods, and cause diseases such as typhus and spotted fever.
Unwrapping DNA from nucleosomes
DNA in the cell must be stored in a compact form (or it wouldn't fit) that also allows it to be translated to RNA, and to be copied when a cell divides.
Electrostatic interactions help an enzyme do its job
A catalytic enzyme facilitates a reaction by bringing one or more molecules into its active site and there providing an environment conducive to the reaction.
Proteins at work inside a membrane
Proteases, enzymes that cleave proteins, are found both free-floating and embedded in membranes. Reactions involving the former are well understood, but the workings of the latter have remained mysterious – how are reactions controlled inside the viscous, two-dimensional membrane, from which water is excluded?
Paving the way for BioSAXS users
BioSAXS experiments require careful preparation. Many users (even though they may be experienced crystallographers) are new to the technique, and MacCHESS' Richard Gillilan and Alvin Acerbo spend a great deal of time “holding hands” of biologists using the BioSAXS facility for the first time.
MacCHESS/CHESS on screen
A video spotlighting MacCHESS, and some other work at CHESS, has been produced by WebsEdge.