Structural basis for host membrane binding and remodeling by invading malaria parasites.
PMID: 42379167.
Cryo-EM and MD simulations => how Plasmodium proteins bind and deform host erythrocyte membranes during invasion : a multi-protein complex induces membrane curvature, facilitating parasite entry.
Cryo-EM structural analysis of liposome-reconstituted AcrB in the presence of substrates.
PMID: 42668048.
cryo-EM=> AcrB efflux pump in multiple substrate-bound states => conformational cycle of drug extrusion.
Shows how substrate binding at the access pocket triggers the peristaltic motion of the transporter.
The dynamic lateral gate of the mitochondrial β-barrel biogenesis machinery is blocked by darobactin A.
PMID: 41266328
Cryo-EM + functional assays => darobactin A locks the lateral gate of the SAM complex, preventing β-barrel protein insertion into the OM membrane.
Disease-mutations perturb proton transfer reactions in respiratory complex I.
PMID: 42607826.
Quantum chemistry + MD => how pathological mutations disrupt proton transfer pathways in complex I, impairing its bioenergetic function.
Links mitochondrial diseases to specific molecular defects in proton coupling.
Architectural principles of transporter-chaperone coupling within the native MHC I peptide-loading complex.
PMID: 41481733
Cryo-EM of the native peptide-loading complex => how TAP transporter dynamically couples with chaperones (tapasin, calreticulin, ERp57) to optimize peptide loading onto MHC I.
=> structural framework for immune evasion mechanisms and antigen presentation engineering.
Structural basis for pharmacotherapeutic action of triple reuptake inhibitors.
PMID: 41392177
Cryo-EM structures of the serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine transporters bound to triple reuptake inhibitors (TRI) compounds => a shared allosteric site enabling multi-target engagement.
The structure of the dopamine D3 receptor bound to cariprazine reveals principles for partial agonists with designed pharmacology.
PMID: 42664351.
X-ray crystallography of D3R–cariprazine complex => unique binding pose that stabilizes a partially active receptor conformation, explaining its partial agonist/antagonist profile.
Dynamic interplay between lateral diffusion and conformational states in a secondary transporter revealed by high-speed AFM.
PMID: 41297222
High-speed AFM => lateral diffusion in the membrane modulates the conformational landscape of a LacY, linking mobility to transport activity.
Dynamics of flexible intracellular regions modulate communication and fine-tune pH gating in plant aquaporins.
PMID: 42544416
MD simulations + functional assays => flexible intracellular loops in PIP aquaporins act as pH sensors, allosterically regulating channel gating.
Drug transporters in drug disposition – highlights from the year 2025.
PMID: 42333065.
Annual review synthesizing advances in transporter-mediated drug disposition, covering new structures, regulatory mechanisms, and clinical implications for drug-drug interactions.
Substrate-induced assembly and functional mechanism of the membrane protein insertase SecYEG-YidC.
PMID: 42362696
Cryo-EM + XL MS => how nascent membrane proteins trigger the assembly of SecYEG and YidC into a supercomplex, coordinating translocation and insertion.
Efflux pumps control intracellular drug-target kinetics by limiting rebinding in bacteria.
PMID: 41604481
Single-molecule tracking + kinetic modeling => efflux pumps reduce intracellular drug residence time => limiting rebinding to targets => lowering antibiotic potency.
Structural insights into the outer membrane proteins PorA, OMP50 and Cj0034c from native Campylobacter jejuni membranes.
PMID: 42664248.
Native cryo-EM structures of C. jejuni OM proteins => novel folds and lipid interactions, including a trimeric PorA with an unusually wide pore.
=> Expands the structural repertoire of bacterial OM proteins and informs vaccine design.
Cryo-EM structures of Cdr1 reveal snapshots of substrate transport and diverse inhibitor recognition.
PMID: 42664345.
Multiple cryo-EM structures of the Candida ABC transporter Cdr1 => distinct conformations along the transport cycle and bound to chemically diverse inhibitors.
Intrinsic Asymmetry in Weak Acid Transmembrane Transporters.
PMID: 41594631
Transporters, an important but poorly studied area of Toxoplasma gondii.
PMID: 41582196
Genomic and phylogenetic analysis => identification of a large repertoire of transporters in T. gondii, many of which are essential for nutrient acquisition and host interaction.
Substrate specificity of Burkholderia pseudomallei multidrug transporters is influenced by the hydrophilic patch in the substrate-binding pocket.
PMID: 41390959
Real-time Structural Tracking of Slow P-type ATPase Dynamics.
PMID: 42579157
Structural and mechanistic insights into gating and allosteric modulation of GluN1-GluN3A NMDA receptors.
PMID: 42665662.
Cryo-EM structures of GluN1-GluN3A receptors in multiple functional states, combined with electrophysiology => a novel allosteric site at the GluN1-GluN3A interface that modulates gating.
Functional Transport Properties of Human Zinc Transporter 1: Kinetics and pH-Dependency.
PMID: 41730615
Kinetic analysis of ZnT1 shows that zinc transport is strongly pH-dependent, with optimal activity at physiological pH, and that the transporter operates via an alternating access mechanism.
Quantifying the Energetics of Protein-Mediated Stabilization of Membrane Deformation.
PMID: 42579381
MD simulations + free energy calculations => quantification how peripheral and integral MPs stabilize highly curved membrane deformations.
There is a linear relationship between protein density and energetic stabilization.
Imaging functional membrane composition and organisation.
PMID: 42447809
Investigating the Effect of Membrane Composition on the Selective Ammonium Transport of Escherichia coli AmtB Membrane Proteins.
PMID: 42491714
Reconstitution of AmtB into liposomes of defined composition shows that specific phospholipids (e.g., PE) enhance ammonium transport, likely by stabilizing the trimeric complex.
The human adenosine A2A receptor co-isolates with anionic phospholipids in SMALPs from Pichia pastoris membranes.
PMID: 42314793.
SMALP isolation and native MS => the A2A receptor specifically co-purifies with PI and PS lipids, which are essential for its stability and function.
Membrane lipid sensing during ERAD: coupling lipid composition to proteostatic fate.
PMID: 42557169
How ER-associated degradation (ERAD) pathways sense and respond to changes in membrane lipid composition, linking lipid homeostasis to protein quality control.
Role of desolvation on biomolecular liquid-liquid phase separation
doi:10.64898/2026.03.09.710469
MD simulations + CG models => desolvation of aromatic and charged residues is a major driving force for LLPS, with water release stabilizing condensed phases.
Quo vadis reconstituted cell surfaces? Purpose and future perspectives for minimal systems of the cell plasma membrane.
PMID: 42349351
State of the art and future directions for reconstituted cell surface models, from supported lipid bilayers to synthetic cells + applications in studying membrane organization and signaling.
Escherichia coli outer membrane vesicles: Bacterial virulence, antibiotic resistance, host interactions, and applications in biomedical platforms.
PMID: 42482474
A comprehensive review of OMVs, covering their biogenesis, roles in virulence and antibiotic resistance, and potential as vaccine platforms, drug delivery vehicles, and diagnostics.
The malate-aspartate shuttle supports thermogenic lipid mobilization in brown adipocytes.
PMID: 41704162
Metabolic tracing + mitochondrial imaging in brown adipocytes => the malate-aspartate shuttle is required for optimal lipid mobilization and thermogenesis, linking redox balance to energy expenditure.
Antipsychotics Chlorpromazine and Clozapine Inhibit Membrane Fusion Through Direct Interaction with Lipid Bilayers
https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10446355/v1
Liposome fusion assays + NMR => chlorpromazine and clozapine insert into lipid bilayers, stabilizing a non-bilayer phase that inhibits membrane fusion.
=> a lipid-centric mechanism for the side effects of antipsychotic drugs.
Membrane Mimetic-Thermal Proteome Profiling Reveals Broad, Sequence-Independent Membrane Protein Stabilization by Cholesteryl Hemisuccinate
doi:10.64898/2026.08.17.745344
Thermal proteome profiling in the presence of CHS reveals that it broadly stabilizes MPs in a sequence-independent manner, likely by mimicking the membrane environment.
Detergent selection as a determinant of lysate melting behavior and drug-target hit-calling in thermal stability proteomics.
doi:10.64898/2026.05.28.728510
Understanding Charged Polymer-Lipid Interactions in Model Membranes Revealed by EPR and Solid-State NMR: Implications for Membrane Protein Studies.
PMID: 42628826.
EPR and ssNMR => interactions between charged polymers and lipid membranes, showing that polymer charge density and lipid headgroup chemistry dictate membrane insertion and disruption.
8-hydroxyquinoline derivatives as powerful, versatile, and sensitive fluorescent probes to assay phospholipase D.
PMID: 42335502.
Synthesis and characterization of 8-hydroxyquinoline-based probes that selectively and sensitively report on PLD activity in vitro and in cells, enabling high-throughput screening.
MetaMP Ecosystem for Unified, Auditable, and Benchmark-Ready Data for Reliable Membrane Protein Annotation.
PMID: 42626122.
MetaMP integrates MP data from multiple sources into a unified, version-controlled ecosystem with built-in benchmarking tools for annotation consistency.
Mass photometry and its expanding role in membrane protein research: The Torpedo marmorata nicotinic acetylcholine receptor as case study.
PMID: 42692134.
Mass photometry is used to determine the oligomeric state and stoichiometry of the nAChR, demonstrating its utility for analyzing MP complexes in native-like conditions.
Tutorial: biomembranes in hybrid living bioelectronics.
PMID: 42458075
A step-by-step protocol for integrating biomembranes with electronic materials to create hybrid bioelectronic devices, covering membrane preparation, device fabrication, and characterization.
Lyophilization Prior to Homogenisation and Extraction Increases Membrane Protein Detection in Gram-Negative Bacterial Proteomic Analyses.
PMID: 42496275
Lyophilization of bacterial cells prior to proteomic workflows significantly increases the detection of MPs (by improving membrane disruption and protein extraction ?).
MPLID (Membrane Protein-Lipid Interaction Database): A Large-Scale Experimental Resource of Residue-Level Protein-Lipid Contacts.
PMID: 42508035
MPLID compiles >50 000 experimentally resolved protein-lipid contacts from PDB, => searchable database of residue-level interactions / understanding and predicting lipid binding sites in MPs.
A brief guideline for the studies of structure-function relationship of ion channels using AlphaFold3.
PMID: 42539828
Best practices for using AF3 to model ion channel structures, validate predictions, and integrate experimental data to study structure-function relationships.
Advances, challenges, and opportunities in engineering C5 and C6 sugar transporters in yeast for bio-based industrial biotechnology.
PMID: 42386498.
State of the art in engineering yeast sugar transporters for sustainable bioproduction: expand substrate utilization, transporter promiscuity, directed evolution, and synthetic pathways.
Preparation of Membrane Protein-Functionalized Polymer and Polymer/Lipid Hybrid Large and Giant Unilamellar Vesicles.
PMID: 42611817.
A detailed video protocol for the reconstitution of MPs into polymer and polymer/lipid hybrid vesicles, including tips for troubleshooting common issues.
The effect of commonly used non-antibiotic medications on antimicrobial resistance development in Escherichia coli.
PMID: 40855113.
Experimental evolution => non-antibiotic drugs (ex: anti-inflammatories, antidepressants) can select for antibiotic resistance in E. coli, likely by altering bacterial physiology or inducing stress responses.
Distinct transcriptional logics of catechol siderophore transporters in Pseudomonas aeruginosa for efficient iron acquisition.
PMID: 42599787
Transcriptomics + transport assays => P. aeruginosa employs distinct regulatory circuits for different catechol siderophore transporters, allowing it to efficiently acquire iron from diverse sources.
The Moderna cancer vaccine offers hope – now we must speed up personalized therapies.
PMID: 42665680.
A positive clinical trial of Moderna’s personalized cancer vaccine demonstrates the potential of mRNA-based immunotherapy, but scaling up production and delivery remains a major hurdle.
The heart has a ‘little brain’ – and it protects against stress.
PMID: 42486897.
New research reveals that the heart contains an intrinsic network of neurons that helps it adapt to stress, independent of the central nervous system.
These rodent OnlyFans stars are helping to fund scientific research
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02550-0
How content creators on OnlyFans, including a group of marmots, are using their earnings to fund scientific research amid uncertain federal funding.
On arrête de diaboliser le gras : à la recherche des bons lipides !
Intermediate stages in the origin of metabolism at a phosphorylating hydrothermal vent.
PMID: 42555707.
Life before life ?
Geochemical modeling and laboratory experiments reconstruct plausible intermediate stages in the origin of metabolism, showing how phosphorylating hydrothermal vents could have driven the emergence of metabolic pathways.
Can giant space mirrors boost green energy on Earth? A start-up aims to find out.
PMID: 42469469.
A startup proposes deploying giant mirrors in space to reflect sunlight to solar farms on Earth, potentially increasing their energy output.
The leap second is dead. Long live the leap hour?
Fear of a possible ‘negative’ leap second is accelerating plans to abolish the adjustment.
The leap second (a periodic adjustment that keeps the relentless march of the world’s atomic clocks in sync with the planet’s naturally varying rotation) could be scrapped as soon as October. The world’s timekeeping authorities want to fast-track a change, already planned for 2035, because we’re facing the possibility of the first-ever negative leap second (meaning that clocks must skip, rather than gain, a second).
The unprecedented event could cause chaos, say researchers, especially because the leap second is handled slightly differently across crucial infrastructure such as electrical grids and financial systems. Better, say timekeepers, would be a leap hour which would mean adjustments only once in hundreds, or thousands, of years.