Who doesn’t like spicy food? How do you feel when you accidentally bite into a hot chili? The burning sensation comes from capsaicin, a compound that induces thermogenesis, tricking our body into thinking it's experiencing a real burn. Capsaicin, part of the vanilloid family, binds as an agonist to the TRPV1 receptor, a transmembrane ion channel. TRPV1 is also stimulated by temperature changes, pH changes, physical abrasion, and endogenous lipids. When activated, it starts a depolarization cascade, allowing sodium and calcium ions to flow in. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that capsaicin can flip from extracellular to intracellular, entering the TRPV1 binding site. In mammals, high temperature detection is carried out by primary afferent neurons expressing TRP channels. Some species, like the 13-lined ground squirrel, have evolved to withstand high environmental heat by modifying TRPV1. TRP channels are polymodal molecular sensors involved in many physiological processes and human diseases. Here, the structure of the full-length thirteen-lined ground squirrel TRPV1 in complex with capsaicin, solved by cryo-EM, reveals how the S5-P-loops form an extracellular cap domain critical for channel conductance, open probability, and ion selectivity. The C-terminus of TRPV1 stabilizes the intracellular skirt through numerous interactions. Given their role in various physiological and pathophysiological processes, TRPV channels are promising drug targets. (PDB:7LR0) Rendering by Suhaila Rahman (@sophie.rheave) made with #proteinimager 3D view: https://lnkd.in/d8k2GJ2E #sciart #cryoem #ionchannel #capsaicin #TRPV1 #structuralbiology #molecularart
Gianluca Tomasello’s Post
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Who doesn’t like spicy food? How do you feel when you accidentally bite into a hot chili? The burning sensation comes from capsaicin, a compound that induces thermogenesis, tricking our body into thinking it's experiencing a real burn. Capsaicin, part of the vanilloid family, binds as an agonist to the TRPV1 receptor, a transmembrane ion channel. TRPV1 is also stimulated by temperature changes, pH changes, physical abrasion, and endogenous lipids. When activated, it starts a depolarization cascade, allowing sodium and calcium ions to flow in. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that capsaicin can flip from extracellular to intracellular, entering the TRPV1 binding site. In mammals, high temperature detection is carried out by primary afferent neurons expressing TRP channels. Some species, like the 13-lined ground squirrel, have evolved to withstand high environmental heat by modifying TRPV1. TRP channels are polymodal molecular sensors involved in many physiological processes and human diseases. Here, the structure of the full-length thirteen-lined ground squirrel TRPV1 in complex with capsaicin, solved by cryo-EM, reveals how the S5-P-loops form an extracellular cap domain critical for channel conductance, open probability, and ion selectivity. The C-terminus of TRPV1 stabilizes the intracellular skirt through numerous interactions. Given their role in various physiological and pathophysiological processes, TRPV channels are promising drug targets. (PDB:7LR0) Rendering by Suhaila Rahman (@sophie.rheave) made with #proteinimager 3D view: https://lnkd.in/dHNpF3xT #sciart #cryoem #ionchannel #capsaicin #TRPV1 #structuralbiology #molecularart
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Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) provides a high-resolution view of fascinating structures like bacteriophages, enabling precise measurement of its head and tail dimensions. This advanced imaging capability is crucial for differentiating and quantifying various phage types and evaluating the lytic activity of different therapeutic products. Bacteriophages, or simply phages, are viruses that specifically target bacteria. Phages feature genetic material encased in a protein head, often equipped with a tail designed for precise targeting and attachment to specific bacteria. This specificity can make phage therapy an attractive alternative for managing infections. At QuTEM (formerly Vironova BioAnalytics) we offer the following analyses for bacteriophages. - Morphological assessment - Vector content - Aggregation - Integrity - Custom classification #Bacteriophages #GeneTherapy #PhageTherapy #TEM #QuTEM
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It is appealing to view this graphical abstract: Umbilical Cord Blood-Derived Monocytes as A Reliable Source of Functional Macrophages for Biomedical Research DOI: 10.22074/CELLJ.2023.1990203.1238 Authors: Shukoofeh Torabi; Morteza Zarrabi; Nikoo Hossein-Khannazer; Majid Lotfinia; Masoumeh Nouri; Roberto Gramignoli; Moustapha Hassan; Massoud Vosough More information: https://lnkd.in/dNaPKXDb #monocyte #Blood #macrophage #biomedical #cord #umbilical
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A new manuscript from the Parker Lab on the regulation of SLC4A11, the black sheep of the SLC4A family, in our Advances in Acid-Base Physiology: From Single Transporters to Physiology research topic: NH3/NH4+ allosterically activates SLC4A11 by causing an acidic shift in the intracellular pK that governs H+(OH−) conductance The topic is still accepting manuscripts. https://lnkd.in/gWGJpnbF
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📯 #callforreading Please check out the most cited papers from Targets MDPI ! 🎯 #6 "The Radiant World of Cyanobacterial #Phycobiliproteins: Examining Their Structure, Functions, and Biomedical Potentials" https://lnkd.in/dtNSnQXM #4 "An Activatable #Nanoscintillator Probe for Detecting Telomerase Activity and Screening Inhibitors In Vivo" https://lnkd.in/dkdb5YMQ #2 "Cell-Surface Glycan Labeling and Sensing" https://lnkd.in/dEbXyGYr #2 "Positive Inotropic Agents in #CancerTherapy: Exploring Potential Anti-Tumor Effects" https://lnkd.in/dHEfsUiA #1 "Photo-Cleavable Polycations-Wrapped Upconversion Nanoparticles for Efficient siRNA Delivery and #CancerTherapy" https://lnkd.in/gdBiQW-w #1 "Potential of MMP-2 and MMP-9 Gelatinase Blockade as a #Therapeutic Strategy in #Fibrosarcoma Treatment: A Decadal Review" https://lnkd.in/d4C7J__c
The Radiant World of Cyanobacterial Phycobiliproteins: Examining Their Structure, Functions, and Biomedical Potentials
mdpi.com
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Using #immunocytochemistry, researchers can detect relevant epithelial markers and assess for differentiation markers. Check out this protocol from STEMCELL Technologies for whole-mount fixation and immunostaining of epithelial #organoids derived from different tissue types: https://bit.ly/3OFj3hK
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#callforreading 🎯 Welcome you read the last publication on Targets MDPI! Title: "Unit-Emitting Carbon Dots for Cell Imaging and Lipid Droplet Quantification" by Yanli Xu and Yunsheng Xia 🔗 Available at https://lnkd.in/dExfGhKg Anhui Normal University #Cellimaging #Fluorescenceimaging #molecularprobe 🍇 Abstract: The interactions between carbon dots (C-dots) and cells and the corresponding subcellular organelle localization are both significant for bio-sensing and bio-imaging. In this study, we explore cellular uptake and internalization behaviors of two kinds of lipophilic unit-emitting C-dots for three different kinds of cells. It is found that both C-dots can localize in lipid droplets with high efficiency. Compared with commercial dyes, the imaged lipid droplets by the proposed C-dots possess well-defined outlines. Based on such superior imaging performances, the quantification of lipid droplets for cells pretreated by oleic acid stimulation and starvation is well achieved.
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Bacteriophages, or simply phages, are viruses that specifically target bacteria. Phages feature genetic material encased in a protein head, often equipped with a tail designed for precise targeting and attachment to specific bacteria. This specificity makes phage therapy an attractive alternative for managing infections. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) provides a high-resolution view of these fascinating structures, enabling precise measurement of the head and tail dimensions. This advanced imaging capability is crucial for differentiating and quantifying various phage types and evaluating the lytic activity of different therapeutic products. At QuTEM (formerly Vironova BioAnalytics), we generally offer the following analyses for bacteriophages: - Morphological assessment - Vector content - Aggregation - Integrity - Custom classification #Bacteriophages #GeneTherapy #PhageTherapy #TEM #QuTEM
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New paper out 🤓 🥳 Check it out to learn more about colorful complexes formed by human oxygen sensor PHD2. Thanks to Stephen Marshall and William D. Figg, PhD for the huge contribution! #Oxygenases #OxygenSensors #StructuralBiology https://lnkd.in/eyh9TBbk
Human prolyl hydroxylase domain 2 reacts with O2 and 2-oxoglutarate to enable formation of inactive Fe(III).2OG.hypoxia-inducible-factor α complexes - Scientific Reports
nature.com
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Mitochondria, essential for oxidative phosphorylation and other cellular functions, have ~1,000–1,500 proteins, 99% synthesized by cytosolic ribosomes and imported as precursors via the TOM complex in the outer membrane. This study presents cryo-EM structures of the TOM complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with the dimeric form at 3.1-Å and the tetrameric form at 4.1-Å resolution. The dimeric TOM comprises two copies each of five proteins, including the pore-forming Tom40 and four auxiliary transmembrane proteins. The tetramer structure (PDB: 6UCV), a dimer of dimeric TOM, reveals the detailed molecular organization of the TOM complex, providing insights into the mechanism of protein translocation into mitochondria. Rendering by Suhaila Rahman (@sophie.rheave) made with #ProteinImager 3D view https://lnkd.in/dxwtkns4 #sciart #cryoem #molecularart #structuralbiology #mitochondria #yeast #TOMcomplex
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Biochemist researcher, Physical sciences Teacher
7moThe zest & ZING of spicy Chiles, well explained!