A technique newly available at the ALS has enabled the discovery of a surprising key event in photosynthetic systems. A protein shifting from an “orange” light-absorbing state to a “red” photoprotective state turns out to be an unanticipated molecular priming event in photoprotection. Read more »
Ancient Proteins Help Unravel a Modern Cancer Drug’s Mechanism
The cancer drug Gleevec is extremely specific, binding and inhibiting only the cancer-causing tyrosine protein kinase Blc-Abl, while not targeting homologous protein kinases found in normal, healthy cells. Researchers at the ALS have uncovered exactly why that is the case, pointing to novel methods of drug discovery. Read more » 
Peptoid Nanosheets Offer a Diversity of Functionalities
Researchers at the ALS have recently observed peptoid nanosheets as they self-assemble at an oil–water interface. This development opens the door to designing peptoid nanosheets of increasing complexity and functionality for a broad range of applications, including improved chemical sensors and separators, and safer, more effective drug-delivery vehicles. Read more »
Protein Instability and Lou Gehrig’s Disease
A new study uses small-angle x-ray scattering as well as several advanced biophysical techniques to link protein instability to the progression of a lethal degenerative disease: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Read more »
Brain Receptor Structures Key to Future Therapeutics
Neurotransmitter receptor proteins are critical to learning and memory. Mutations are associated with neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions including Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, and autism. Structures of two such receptors, solved by x-ray crystallography, provide a blueprint for the development of therapeutics. Read more »
An Evolutionary Arms Race for Sulfur
Recent work at the ALS shows that the viruses infecting sulfur-oxidizing bacteria in the deep sea carry bacterial genes for the oxidation of elemental sulfur. Although the viruses themselves cannot use the sulfur, they likely supplement bacterial sulfur oxidation and then exploit the generated energy for viral replication. Read more »
Designer Proteins Target Epstein-Barr-Virus-Associated Cancer
Researchers used new protein design approaches to develop a potential inhibitor of Epstein-Barr-Virus-associated cancer. The study shows not just how to help defeat the virus, but also opens up a whole new way to design proteins against viruses and ultimately, cancer. Read more »
A New Link Between Human and Bacterial Signaling Machinery
Researchers showed that a bacterial signaling protein critical for pathogenesis in Vibrio cholerae is actually a homolog of the human enzyme, cGAS, which detects invading DNA. These results reveal a surprising evolutionary connection between bacterial signaling and human innate immunity. Read more »
For the Birds: The Magic of Color in Feathers
The beauty and wild colors of bird feathers are derived from the combinations of relatively few molecules. Research at the ALS shows that the expression of colors (or melanin), depends on the proportion of the molecules.
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Caribou Biosciences Has Roots at the ALS
When Rachel Haurwitz joined UC Berkeley biology professor Jennifer Doudna’s lab in 2007 as a graduate student, little did the two women know that the interesting bacterial immune system they were studying would be the subject of news headlines and the basis for a biotech startup just a few years later.