Top 7 biochemistry papers

#1 Complex I enzyme revealed The solved structure of a bacterial complex I enzyme -- first in line in the energy-producing respiratory chain -- reveals important mechanics of this ubiquitous protein. Specifically, the structure shows how it hustles electrons and protons across membranes. R.G. Efremov et al. "The architecture of respiratory complex I," Nature, 465(7297):441-5. 2010. linkurl:Eval;http://f1000biology.com/article/id/3375956 by Nathan Nelson, Tel Aviv University; Andrea Mattevi, U

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#1 Complex I enzyme revealed The solved structure of a bacterial complex I enzyme -- first in line in the energy-producing respiratory chain -- reveals important mechanics of this ubiquitous protein. Specifically, the structure shows how it hustles electrons and protons across membranes. R.G. Efremov et al. "The architecture of respiratory complex I," Nature, 465(7297):441-5. 2010. linkurl:Eval;http://f1000biology.com/article/id/3375956 by Nathan Nelson, Tel Aviv University; Andrea Mattevi, University of Pavia; Terrence Frey, San Diego State University; Thomas Meier, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics.

E. coli cluster
Image:Eric Erbe via Wikimedia Commons

#2 Unusual aging in E. coli A novel microfluidics technique allowed researchers to study single E. coli cells as they birthed many clones throughout many generations -- proving their growth rate wasn't hampered by age, contradicting previous hypotheses and other aging models. P. Wang et al. "Robust Growth of Escherichia coli," Curr Biol, 20: 1099-1103. 2010. linkurl:Eval;http://f1000biology.com/article/id/3517956 by Roy Kishony, Harvard University; Thomas Meier, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics. #3 Why proteins have knots Proteins with knots in their structures do not come untied when denatured, suggesting knots may play an unknown role in the ever-mysterious protein-folding process. A.L. Mallam et al. "Experimental detection of knotted conformations in denatured proteins," Natl Acad Sci, 107(18):8189-94. 2010. linkurl:Eval;http://f1000biology.com/article/id/3335966 by Werner Streicher and George Makhatadze, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Aaron Burton and Niles Lehman, Portland State University. #4 Engineered: self-assembling membranes This synthesis of a broad class of organic molecules with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties that self-assemble into vesicles promises to be a huge leap toward efficient nanoscale delivery of drugs into cells. V. Percec et al. "Self-assembly of Janus dendrimers into uniform dendrimersomes and other complex architectures," Science, 328(5981):1009-14. 2010. linkurl:Eval;http://f1000biology.com/article/id/3436956 by Anthony Czarnik, University of Nevada; Donald Tomalia, Central Michigan University. #5 How proteins got their grooves back Crystal structures of one of the most abundant bacterial DNA-binding proteins show it will latch on to DNA depending on the size of its minor groove -- suggesting that DNA shape, and not just its base pair sequence, determines binding specificity. S. Stella et al. "The shape of the DNA minor groove directs binding by the DNA-bending protein Fis," Genes Dev, 24(8):814-26. 2010. linkurl:Eval;http://f1000biology.com/article/id/3018958 by Charles Dorman, Trinity College; Stephen CJ Parker and Tom Tullius; Boston University. #6 Predicting how proteins come together Researchers compiled a comprehensive benchmark against which algorithms that predict how proteins interact with one another can be tested, paving the way toward more accurate predictions. P.L. Kastritis and A.M. Bonvin. "Are scoring functions in protein-protein docking ready to predict interactomes? Clues from a novel binding affinity benchmark," J Proteome Res, 9(5):2216-25. 2010. linkurl:Eval;http://f1000biology.com/article/id/3437978 by Antonio Rosato, University of Florence; Gloria Fuentes and Chandra Verma, Bioinformatics Institute. #7 More clues to liver microRNA's role in disease By identifying small molecules that modulate the most abundant microRNA in the liver, researchers discovered it plays opposing roles in hepatitis C infection and liver cancer. D.D. Young et al. "Small molecule modifiers of microRNA miR-122 function for the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection and hepatocellular carcinoma," J Am Chem Soc, 23: 7976-81. 2010. linkurl:Eval;http://f1000biology.com/article/id/3505956 by Subhash Sinha, The Scripps Research Institute; Nicholas Meanwell, Bristol Myers Squibb.The F1000 Top 7 is a snapshot of the highest ranked articles from a 30-day period on Faculty of 1000 Biochemistry, as calculated on June 30, 2010. Faculty Members evaluate and rate the most important papers in their field. To see the latest rankings, search the database, and read daily evaluations, visit http://f1000.com.
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[June 2010]