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β-Alanine synthase (βAS), which is a dizinc metalloenzyme, catalyzes the irreversible hydrolysis of N-carbamyl-β-alanine (NCβA) to β-alanine. This enzyme has potential applications for β-amino acid production. Understanding the reaction mechanism and selectivity of βAS at atomic details can help design and engineer the enzyme for cascade biocatalysis. Here, the protonation states of two conserved

This article traces the flow of municipal solid waste from southern Italy through a waste‐to‐energy facility and district heating system in Austria, examining the roles that waste's transformation from contaminant to commodity to fuel plays in interconnected, distributed, and contested urbanization processes. It contends that, while metabolic circulation hides socioecological costs in one place to

The polymerization of amino acids into proteins occurs on ribosomes, with the rate influenced by the amino acids being polymerized. The imino acid proline is a poor donor and acceptor for peptide-bond formation, such that translational stalling occurs when three or more consecutive prolines (PPP) are encountered by the ribosome. In bacteria, stalling at PPP motifs is rescued by the elongation fact

Extensive research is being conducted on magnesium (Mg) alloys for bone implant manufacturing, due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability and mechanical properties. Gadolinium (Gd) is among the most promising alloying elements for property control in Mg alloy implants; however, its toxicity is controversial. Investigating Gd behavior during implant corrosion is thus of utmost importance. In t

Background: Bark beetles are major pests of conifer forests, and their behavior is primarily mediated via olfaction. Targeting the odorant receptors (ORs) may thus provide avenues towards improved pest control. Such an approach requires information on the function of ORs and their interactions with ligands, which is also essential for understanding the functional evolution of these receptors. Henc

Ribonucleotide reductases catalyze the reduction of ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides. Three classes have been identified, all using free- radical chemistry but based on different cofactors. Classes I and II have been shown to be evolutionarily related, whereas the origin of anaerobic class III has remained elusive. The structure of a class III enzyme suggests a common origin for the three c

Four directional and positional variants of sulfonamide-derivatized galactopyranosides were synthesized and evaluated against human galectin-1, -3, -4C (C-terminal), -7, -8N (N-terminal), -8C (C-terminal), -9N (N-terminal), and -9C (C-terminal), which revealed that one of the sulfonamide positions and directionalities (methyl 3-{4-[2-(phenylsulfonylamino)-phenyl]-triazolyl}-3-deoxy-α-D-galactopyra

Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase is a biomedically important enzyme that plays a crucial role in lipid biosynthesis. It is activated by a ligand-gated conformational change that is necessary for the enzyme to reach a catalytically competent conformation capable of efficient transition-state stabilization. While the human form (hlGPDH) has been the subject of extensive structural and biochemical

The ubiquity of phospho-ligands suggests that phosphate binding emerged at the earliest stage of protein evolution. To evaluate this hypothesis and unravel its details, we identified all phosphate-binding protein lineages in the Evolutionary Classification of Protein Domains database. We found at least 250 independent evolutionary lineages that bind small molecule cofactors and metabolites with ph

GTP hydrolysis is a biologically crucial reaction, being involved in regulating almost all cellular processes. As a result, the enzymes that catalyze this reaction are among the most important drug targets. Despite their vital importance and decades of substantial research effort, the fundamental mechanism of enzyme-catalyzed GTP hydrolysis by GTPases remains highly controversial. Specifically, ho

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) coordinates high-quality atmospheric greenhouse gas observations globally and provides these observations through the WMO World Data Centre for Greenhouse Gases (WDCGG) supported by Japan Meteorological Agency. The WDCGG and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) analyse these measurements using different

Organophosphate hydrolases are proficient catalysts of the breakdown of neurotoxic organophosphates and have great potential as both biotherapeutics for treating acute organophosphate toxicity and as bioremediation agents. However, proficient organophosphatases such as serum paraoxonase 1 (PON1) and the organophosphate-hydrolyzing lactonase SsoPox are unable to hydrolyze bulkyorganophosphates with

Despite the abundance of membrane-associated enzymes, the mechanism by which membrane binding stabilizes these enzymes and stimulates their catalysis remains largely unknown. Serum paraoxonase-1 (PON1) is a lipophilic lactonase whose stability and enzymatic activity are dramatically stimulated when associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles. Our mutational and structural analyses, co

Mobility is one of the most fundamental aspects of a foraging society. Since prehistoric mobility is often difficult to identify in the archaeological record, our understanding is largely based on comparison with ethnographic communities. In recent years the application of 87Sr/86Sr isotope analysis has, however, greatly broadened our knowledge of mobility in the past. Despite this, few studies ha

TRPV2 is a ligand-operated temperature sensor with poorly defined pharmacology. Here, we combine calcium imaging and patch-clamp electrophysiology with cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to explore how TRPV2 activity is modulated by the phytocannabinoid Δ9-tetrahydrocannabiorcol (C16) and by probenecid. C16 and probenecid act in concert to stimulate TRPV2 responses including histamine release from

Accurate detection of cancer-associated molecular abnormalities in tumors could make cancer treatment more personalized. Affibody molecules enable high contrast imaging of tumor-associated protein expression shortly after injection. The use of the generator-produced positron-emitting radionuclide (68)Ga should increase sensitivity of HER2 imaging. The chemical nature of radionuclides and chelators

We investigate the fragmentation dynamics of adamantane dications produced after core-ionization at the carbon edge followed by Auger decay. The combination of high-resolution electron spectroscopy, energy-resolved electron-ion multi-coincidence spectroscopy and different theoretical models allows us to give a complete characterization of the processes involved after ionization. We show that energ