Free fatty acid binding pocket in the locked structure of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Free fatty acid binding pocket in the locked structure of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein Via Science: Current Issue Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), represents a global crisis. Key to SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic development is unraveling the mechanisms that drive high infectivity, broad tissue tropism, and severe pathology. Our 2.85-angstrom cryo–electron microscopy structure of SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) glycoprotein reveals that the receptor binding domains tightly bind the essential free fatty acid linoleic acid (LA) in three composite binding pockets. A similar pocket also appears to be present in the highly pathogenic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). LA binding stabilizes a locked S conformation, resulting in reduced angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) interaction in vitro. In human cells, LA supplementation synergizes with the COVID-19 drug remdesivir, suppressing SARS-CoV-2 replication. Our structure directly links LA and S, setting the stage for intervention strategies that target LA binding by SARS-CoV-2. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Resource conservation manifests in the genetic code

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Resource conservation manifests in the genetic code Via Science: Current Issue Nutrient limitation drives competition for resources across organisms. However, much is unknown about how selective pressures resulting from nutrient limitation shape microbial coding sequences. Here, we study this "resource-driven selection" by using metagenomic and single-cell data of marine microbes, alongside environmental measurements. We show that a significant portion of the selection exerted on microbes is explained by the environment and is associated with nitrogen availability. Notably, this resource conservation optimization is encoded in the structure of the standard genetic code, providing robustness against mutations that increase carbon and nitrogen incorporation into protein sequences. This robustness generalizes to codon choices from multiple taxa across all domains of life, including the human genome. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Untangling the genetics of plasticity

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Untangling the genetics of plasticity Via Science: Current Issue View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Genomic architecture of a genetically assimilated seasonal color pattern

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Genomic architecture of a genetically assimilated seasonal color pattern Via Science: Current Issue Developmental plasticity allows genomes to encode multiple distinct phenotypes that can be differentially manifested in response to environmental cues. Alternative plastic phenotypes can be selected through a process called genetic assimilation, although the mechanisms are still poorly understood. We assimilated a seasonal wing color phenotype in a naturally plastic population of butterflies (Junonia coenia) and characterized three responsible genes. Endocrine assays and chromatin accessibility and conformation analyses showed that the transition of wing coloration from an environmentally determined trait to a predominantly genetic trait occurred through selection for regulatory alleles of downstream wing-patterning genes. This mode of genetic evolution is likely favored by selection because it allows tissue- and trait-specific tuning of reaction norms without affecting core cue detection or transduction mechanisms. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Steering iceberg armadas

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Steering iceberg armadas Via Science: Current Issue View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Global food system emissions could preclude achieving the 1.5{degrees} and 2{degrees}C climate change targets

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Global food system emissions could preclude achieving the 1.5{degrees} and 2{degrees}C climate change targets Via Science: Current Issue The Paris Agreement's goal of limiting the increase in global temperature to 1.5° or 2°C above preindustrial levels requires rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Although reducing emissions from fossil fuels is essential for meeting this goal, other sources of emissions may also preclude its attainment. We show that even if fossil fuel emissions were immediately halted, current trends in global food systems would prevent the achievement of the 1.5°C target and, by the end of the century, threaten the achievement of the 2°C ta rget. Meeting the 1.5°C target requires rapid and ambitious changes to food systems as well as to all nonfood sectors. The 2°C target could be achieved with less-ambitious changes to food systems, but only if fossil fuel and other nonfood emissions are eliminated soon. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Food for thought

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Food for thought Via Science: Current Issue View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Enigmatic amphibians in mid-Cretaceous amber were chameleon-like ballistic feeders

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Enigmatic amphibians in mid-Cretaceous amber were chameleon-like ballistic feeders Via Science: Current Issue Albanerpetontids are tiny, enigmatic fossil amphibians with a distinctive suite of characteristics, including scales and specialized jaw and neck joints. Here we describe a new genus and species of albanerpetontid, represented by fully articulated and three-dimensional specimens preserved in amber. These specimens preserve skeletal and soft tissues, including an elongated median hyoid element, the tip of which remains embedded in a distal tongue pad. This arrangement is very similar to the long, rapidly projecting tongue of chameleons. Our results thus suggest that albanerpetontids were sit-and-wait ballistic tongue feeders, extending the record of this specialized feeding mode by around 100 million years. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Making peace with the beast within

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Making peace with the beast within Via Science: Current Issue View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

The genetic law of the minimum

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader The genetic law of the minimum Via Science: Current Issue View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Large-area low-noise flexible organic photodiodes for detecting faint visible light

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Large-area low-noise flexible organic photodiodes for detecting faint visible light Via Science: Current Issue Silicon photodiodes are the foundation of light-detection technology; yet their rigid structure and limited area scaling at low cost hamper their use in several emerging applications. A detailed methodology for the characterization of organic photodiodes based on polymeric bulk heterojunctions reveals the influence that charge-collecting electrodes have on the electronic noise at low frequency. The performance of optimized organic photodiodes is found to rival that of low-noise silicon photodiodes in all metrics within the visible spectral range, except response time, which is still video-rate compatible. Solution-processed organic photodiodes offer several design opportunities exemplified in a biometric monitoring application that uses ring-shaped, large-area, flexible, organic photodiodes with silicon-level performance. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

A systematic review of cranioplasty material toxicity in human subjects

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader A systematic review of cranioplasty material toxicity in human subjects Via Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery Publication date: Available online 4 November 2020Source: Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial SurgeryAuthor(s): David Emmanuel Las, Denis Verwilghen, Maurice Yves Mommaerts (Source: Journal of Cranio Maxillofacial Surgery) View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Evaluating and Comparing Behavioural and Electrophysiological Estimates of Neural Health in Cochlear Implant Users

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Evaluating and Comparing Behavioural and Electrophysiological Estimates of Neural Health in Cochlear Implant Users Via JARO - Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology via MedWorm.com AbstractVariations in neural health along the cochlea can degrade the spectral and temporal representation of sounds conveyed by cochlear implants (CIs). We evaluated and compared one electrophysiological measure and two behavioural measures that have been proposed as estimates of neural health patterns, in order to explore the extent to which the different measures provide converging and consistent neural health estimates. All measures were obtained from the same 11 users of the Cochlear Corporation CI. The two behavioural measures were multipulse integration (MPI) and the polarity effect (PE), both measured on each of seven electrodes per subject. MPI was measured as the difference between thresholds at 80  pps and 1000 pps, and PE as the difference in thresholds between cathodic- and ... View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.