New preprint from the lab is now on Biorxiv and a new structure in pdb! We show that PML protein has an RNA-binding module, we named PIXEL, which modulates human transcriptome. We determine its structure and sequence-specificity. Such fun project! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Check out this exciting new report on NEDDylation of DNA polymerase eta. Happy our lab could contribute to this work led by @nicholaswashton.bsky.social and colleagues.

Staff Research Scientist (CEST MRI, imaging molecular binding and metabolism) F. M. Kirby Research Center, US-MD-Baltimore jobs.kennedykrieger.org/baltimore-md... #NMRjobs #NMRchat 🧲

I’m so excited for a chance to visit Australia and looking forward to #AusUb2025

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 23/31 Prompt FIREFLY Pdb: 2D1R Luciferase: firefly enzyme catalyzes a light-producing reaction that makes fireflies glow. Next: ROWDY Suggestions?

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 22/31 Prompt BUTTON Pdb: 1ZXK Like tiny buttons, cell adhesion proteins such as this Cadherin-8 hold cells together to form tissues. Next: FIREFLY Suggestions?

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 21/31 Prompt BLAST Pdb: 1GVR An oxidoreductase enzyme PETN from bacterium Enterobacter cloacae can bind and degrade high explosives such as TNT 💥 Next: BUTTON Suggestions?

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 20/31 Prompt RIVALS Pdb: 8V27 & 8G6S Two rival histone modifications on a nucleosome. Ubiquitination of H2BK120 activates genes while H2AK119 represses them. Next: BLAST Suggestions?

I’ve been traveling to fun places and meeting awesome people at the IPS meeting in Brazil but falling behind on my inktober artwork. Here is the preview for the prompt RIVAL. Guess what it is!

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 19/31 Prompt ARCTIC Pdb: 3UYU Meet ice-binding protein (LeIBP) from Arctic yeast that acts like antifreeze! Next: RIVALS Suggestions?

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 18/31 Prompt DEAL Pdb: 9MKL A handshaking dimer of a tRNA deacylase strikes a deal to keep translation faithful. Next: ARCTIC Suggestions?

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 17/31 Prompt ORNATE Pdb: 9MME For the Escher fans! An ornate molecular cage made entirely of RNA. Next: DEAL Suggestions?

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 16/31 Prompt BLUNDER Pdb: 8G5J DNA mismatch blunder being fixed by mitochondrial DNA polymerase γ. Next: ORNATE Suggestions?

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 15/31 Prompt RAGGED Pdb: 2W8M A rugged nuclease D212 from a virus that preys on archaea in the scalding waters of hot springs. Next: BLUNDER Suggestions?

Week 2 of inktober is over! Here are my first drafts.

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 14/31 Prompt TRUNK Pdb: 1FNY Lectin. This old tree house is made of a lectin protein found in the bark of a black locust tree, Robinia pseudoacacia. Next: RAGGED Suggestions?

Our new paper is finally out today. An exciting collaboration with the Buhrlage lab. We report an allosteric activator of USP7. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 13 Prompt DRINK Pdb: 7BTW A pair of mitochondrial outer membrane β-barrel SAM complexes from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the yeast used to make beer. Cheers! Next: TRUNK Suggestions?

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 12 Prompt SHREDDED Pdb: 6TUB β-Endorphin. The protein precursor POMC is shredded by proteases into multiple peptide hormones, including β-endorphin. Next: DRINK Suggestions?

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 11 Prompt STING Pdb: 6MZT Scorpion venom protein Urotoxin. Next:SHREDDED Suggestions?

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 10 Prompt SWEEP Pdb: 7NAP Proteasome: the cleanup machine. It breaks down damaged or unneeded proteins, keeping the cell neat and efficient. Next: STiNG Suggestions?

A fantastic place to work and live!

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 9 Prompt HEAVY Pdb: 4DL6 Heavy metal therapy. Platinum-based cancer drug cisplatin damages DNA but DNA polymerase eta manages to copy it past the lesion. Next: SWEEP Suggestions?

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 8 Prompt RECKLESS Pdb: 5TZO A reckless surge. Two molecules of fentanyl engulfed by its computationally designed binder Fen49* Next: HEAVY Suggestions?

Week 1 of first drafts :)

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 7 Prompt STARFISH Pdb: 6KG7 Starfish relies on sensory information. This is Piezo 2 - mechanically activated ion channel responsible for the sense of touch. Next: RECKLESS Suggestions?

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 6 Prompt PIERCE Pdb: 8HO3 8HQO 8HQZ 8HRE 8HRG Structure of a bacteriophage DT57C that carries a special piercing tip to attack bacteria. Next: STARFISH Suggestions?

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 5 Prompt DEER Pdb 4YXH Two molecules of a deer prion protein decorate its head. Misfolded prions can make other prions to misfold causing neurodegenerative diseases in mammals. Next: PIERCE Suggestions?

This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 4 Prompt MURKY Pdb 8T1M Domain with unidentified function 1842 from pathogenic bacteria (thanks Leah) There are many proteins with known structures but their function remains murky. Next DEER

This October I’m drawing one molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 3/31 Prompt CROWN Coronavirus spike protein. The crown sits on one of its three receptor-binding domains - a key element for successful infection. Pdb: 6ZWV Next prompt is MURKY and I’m at loss

This October I’m drawing one molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social Day 2/31 Prompt WEAVE N-terminal domain of a Fibrion - a building block of silk fiber produced by silkworms. Pdb: 3UA0 Next prompt is CROWN and I would love your suggestions!

This October I’m drawing one molecule a day inspired by proteins @rcsb.bsky.social Day 1/31 Prompt MUSTACHE Pdb 2QZI Let’s start with something fun: Mr. Potato head’s ‘stache is made of Androgen Receptor that binds testosterone and helps maintain his male phenotype Next prompt: WEAVE suggestions?

Got my inktober supplies!

I was lucky today to finally have a chance to visit RCSB PDB @rcsbpdb.bsky.social at Rutgers. Special thanks to Stephen Burley for hosting and Jason Kaelber for the tour of the facilities.

It’s almost October! I plant to participate in inktober challenge again this year. One protein drawing a day for 31 days. I would LOVE your suggestions! Check out the prompt list and nominate a pdb of a protein for me to draw that could be a good fit for any of these prompts. Wish me luck!

Our latest paper is online today ahead of print in PNAS @pnas.org www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Wow! Take a look at this beautiful structure. So excited to see the entire USP7 there.

New drawing! Ubiquitin-specific protease 7 (pdb 4M5W) It’s been a while since I last drew anything. Forgot how fun it is.

New paper out from the Mittag lab: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... New adventures in understanding structure and function of SPOP, which involve donuts! 🍩 Congratulations to first authors Matt Cuneo, Ömer Güllülü and Mohamed-Raafet Ammar, and all other authors!

New publication alert! Using NMR we show how the C-tail of USP7 contributes to its activation by facilitating ubiquitin release. Online today in Journal of Molecular Biology. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

link.growkudos.com/1e2aa2yse0w USP7 spotlight

Out in @pnas.org today Showcasing the power of NMR! NMR and enzyme kinetics show USP7 enzyme transiently sampling its low-populated active state, and its hyperactive disease variant enhancing these dynamics www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... Stellar work by students Gabrielle Valles and Emilie Korchak

In related work @irinabezsonova.bsky.social lab showed how these activators can be used to correct effects of USP7 mutations that are associated with Hao-Fountain syndrome www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

NEW PREPRINT ALERT: Buhrlage lab in collaboration with @irinabezsonova.bsky.social has developed a new class of USP7 activators! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Two preprints! We report extensive characterization of USP7 variants linked to Hao-Fountain syndrome AND a new allosteric activator as a potential tool to rescue USP7 activity. A great collaboration with Sara Buhrlage’s lab. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Come work with us in Vancouver! UBC’s Department of Medical Genetics, in collaboration with The Life Sciences Institute, seeks an Assistant Professor working in chromatin regulation or genetic regulatory mechanisms. ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/ubcfac...

If you are at the Cold Spring Harbor ubiquitin meeting, please come by and say hi! #cshlubiq meetings.cshl.edu/meetings.asp...

You can download my protein structure-inspired artwork from pdb webpage: pdb101.rcsb.org/sci-art/bezs... @rcsbpdb.bsky.social @pdbeurope.bsky.social #sciart