Michael Webster
@michaelwebster.bsky.social
📤 1281
📥 525
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Group Leader @ The John Innes Centre. Photosynthetic Gene Expression 🌿🧬 | Cryo-EM
reposted by
Michael Webster
Molecular Cell
3 days ago
Structural basis for multi-subunit DNA-dependent RNA polymerase catalytic activity
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Structural basis for multi-subunit DNA-dependent RNA polymerase catalytic activity
In Mueller et al. the authors capture and visualize the native enzyme-substrate (Michaelis) and product complexes of nucleotide addition by bacterial RNA polymerase. Substrate coordination in a transition-state-like conformation, together with highly coordinated water molecules, suggests a positional (entropic) catalytic mechanism involving specific acid-base chemistry.
http://dlvr.it/TSjLxc
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Michael Webster
Mauricio Contreras
8 days ago
Check out our latest work! AlphaFold 3 revealed a transient immune receptor complex that eluded biochemical studies for almost a decade 🤯 We describe a conserved structural logic underlying sensor–helper communication in an NLR immune receptor network 🧵👇
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reposted by
Michael Webster
John Innes Centre
10 days ago
An exciting opportunity to join Dr Schreier's new group as a postdoctoral researcher is open for applications until 15 June 2026:
www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/po...
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Postdoctoral Researcher | John Innes Centre
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join the newly starting Schreier group at the John Innes Centre, working on cutting-edge science in the field of photosynthesis…
https://www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/postdoctoral-researcher-32/
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Michael Webster
John Innes Centre
10 days ago
NEWS - New group leader to shed light on supercharged photosynthesis We are pleased to announce that Dr Tina Schreier will join the John Innes Centre as a tenure-track Group Leader in July 2026:
www.jic.ac.uk/news/new-gro...
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reposted by
Michael Webster
Dmitry Shvarev
10 days ago
So great to see our structure of chlorophyll synthase on bioRxiv! Thanks to amazing collaboration with Anna Wysocka, Felix Morey-Burrows, Andy Hitchcock and Roman Sobotka, and everyone else involved! @UniOsnabrueck @AlgatechTrebon @sheffielduni
#cryoEM
#photosynthesis
#cyano
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reposted by
Michael Webster
Dimitry Tegunov
25 days ago
We're super excited to share MissAlignment: a new ML-based approach to reference-free tilt series alignment, spearheaded by
@martenchaillet.bsky.social
. We think it's going to make your cryo-ET life a lot better. Preprint:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Code:
github.com/warpem/miss-...
🧶 Thread:
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Michael Webster
Sophien Kamoun
about 1 month ago
I just published: Leave the red shirt out: Scientists, stop complicating the story Scientists are brilliant at finding details. We are less brilliant at knowing which details to shut up about.
medium.com/p/leave-the-...
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Michael Webster
Pujuan Poppy Deng
about 1 month ago
I am so excited to share our new findings with you! We provide the structural evidence for a direct protein-to-DNA information pathway, showing how a bacterial enzyme 'reads' its own structure to 'write' DNA.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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Michael Webster
Ben Adler
2 months ago
I love this concept -- plasmid to Cryo structure in a day!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.13.669967v1.full
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Michael Webster
noam
6 months ago
🌱🚨 Funded PhD for UK students 🇬🇧🌿 Take a look at this Plant BioDesign Doctoral Training Program. Come work with me and
@michaelwebster.bsky.social
to study plant rubiscos. High throughput biochem at Cambridge and Cryo-EM techniques at the John Innes Centre.
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
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Engineering plant rubisco enzymes through high-throughput enzyme assays and cryo-EM (Plant BioDesign Cambridge project) at University of York on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Engineering plant rubisco enzymes through high-throughput enzyme assays and cryo-EM (Plant BioDesign Cambridge project) at University of York, listed on FindAPhD.com
https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/engineering-plant-rubisco-enzymes-through-high-throughput-enzyme-assays-and-cryo-em-plant-biodesign-cambridge-project/?p192163
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👇
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7 months ago
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reposted by
Michael Webster
Max Wilkinson
7 months ago
The Wilkinson Lab is open for science!
@mskcancercenter.bsky.social
🧬We'll be finding funky new RNA biology, mainly by looking at reverse transcriptases (i.e. the Best Enzymes In The World)🧬 annnd: I'm hiring - come join! Especially postdocs and PhD students - please get in touch (NYC is great)
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Wilkinson Lab
We discover and study reverse transcriptases
https://wilkinsonlab.bio
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Michael Webster
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
7 months ago
25 years on from publishing the structure of the bacterial 30S ribosomal subunit, alumni, collaborators & friends of Venki Ramakrishnan’s group joined us for a symposium celebrating the legacy of this work. Read about the event and find photos here:
www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/25-years-of-...
#LMBNews
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reposted by
Michael Webster
John Innes Centre
8 months ago
Applications are now OPEN for the JIF Rotation PhD Programme This prestigious 4-year
#PhD
programme trains graduate students in Plant and Microbial Sciences at the JIC,
@thesainsburylab.bsky.social
and
@earlhaminst.bsky.social
. 🗓️ Closing date - 13 November 2025
www.jic.ac.uk/training-car...
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Rotation biology PhDs | John Innes Centre
Prestigious studentships, for entry in October 2022, this multi-disciplinary PhD programme includes; plant science, microbiology, biological chemistry, applied mathematics…
https://www.jic.ac.uk/training-careers/postgraduate-opportunities/rotation-phd/
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reposted by
Michael Webster
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
7 months ago
Chris Russo and Anastasiia Gusach have developed a new method to prepare
#cryoEM
samples that avoids protein damage during freezing Read more:
www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/a-new-method...
#LMBResearch
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Start independent research at the JIC with us 👇. Really interested in finding those with an interest in structural biology and biochemistry of plants and microbes. Please do get in touch by email if you'd like to know more 👍
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8 months ago
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Michael Webster
Trevor Lithgow
9 months ago
@UniBasel is setting up a new endowed professorship at the Biozentrum to make fundamental discoveries at the interface between biophysics and climate-relevant environmental biology
www.biozentrum.unibas.ch/news/detail/...
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New endowed professorship strengthens climate research at the University of Basel
The University of Basel is setting up a new endowed professorship at the Biozentrum to make fundamental discoveries at the interface between biophysics and climate-relevant environmental biology. This...
https://www.biozentrum.unibas.ch/news/detail/new-endowed-professorship-strengthens-climate-research-at-the-university-of-basel
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Brilliant insight on something that takes a lot of patience to discover, thanks for sharing Oli.
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9 months ago
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Michael Webster
John Innes Centre
9 months ago
NEWS - Talented early-career researcher receives major
@wellcometrust.bsky.social
funding The innovative research project of JIC early-career plant scientist, Dr
@miguelmontez.bsky.social
, has attracted a prestigious funding award from a global health charity.
www.jic.ac.uk/news/talente...
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Talented early-career researcher receives major Wellcome Trust funding | John Innes Centre
The innovative research project of an early-career plant scientist at the John Innes Centre has attracted a prestigious funding award from a global health charity…
https://www.jic.ac.uk/news/talented-early-career-researcher-receives-major-wellcome-trust-funding/
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reposted by
Michael Webster
Oli Clarke
9 months ago
Happy to share a new preprint from the Clarke & Vallese (
@fravallese.bsky.social
) labs reporting
#cryoem
structures of two RBC stomatin complexes – with AQP1 & UT-B - continuing the SPFH theme from our recent vault preprint! This was a fun one and has been cooking for a while - read on for more! ⬇️
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reposted by
Michael Webster
Lars Østergaard
9 months ago
👉
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
Join us and be part of shaping the future of
#plantscience
at Oxford as we move to the new Life and Mind Building
lifeandmind.web.ox.ac.uk/home
(recognised for its potential to change the World
edition.cnn.com/2025/01/01/s...
)
@biology.ox.ac.uk
www.biology.ox.ac.uk
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https://my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.jobspec?p_id=180329
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reposted by
Michael Webster
John Innes Centre
9 months ago
VACANCY - We’re currently hiring into two new senior roles: Group Leader in Discovery Plant Sciences:
okt.to/tqoasR
🗓️ Closing date: 25 August 2025 ·An Independent Fellowship in Plant-Associated Microbial Interactions:
okt.to/fDV0ha
🗓️ Closing date: 5 September 2025
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reposted by
Michael Webster
John Innes Centre
9 months ago
VACANCY - We're looking for a Research Software Engineer to join the Informatics Platform, to solve novel challenges and provide support in bioinformatics and scientific computing.
okt.to/gZ487w
Closing date - 8 September 2025 Salary - £37,500 to £45,350 Contract - Full-time until 30 March 2027
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Michael Webster
John Innes Centre
10 months ago
VACANCY - We’re recruiting for a visionary group leader to lead fundamental research on Discovery Plant Science as part of our vibrant research community Successful candidate will be offered a six-year tenure-track position with the opportunity to apply for tenure:
www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/gr...
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reposted by
Michael Webster
John Innes Centre
10 months ago
PRESS RELEASE - Major funding boost to bring world leading researchers to the John Innes Centre We have been awarded an equal share of the new £54 million Global Talent Fund, to attract and support leading researchers and their teams to relocate to the UK:
www.jic.ac.uk/press-releas...
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Michael Webster
John Innes Centre
11 months ago
VACANCY - We’re seeking an Optical Microscopy Support Specialist to join our Bioimaging Platform, to help train users on light microscopes, collaborate on imaging projects and provide technical support.
www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/op...
Closing date - 11 August 2025 Contract - Full time, indefinite
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Optical Microscopy Support Specialist | John Innes Centre
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Optical Microscopy Support Specialist to join the Bioimaging Platform at the John Innes Centre.
https://www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/optical-microscopy-support-specialist-2/
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reposted by
Michael Webster
John Innes Centre
11 months ago
We’re pleased to announce two new vacancies for senior roles at our institute: Group Leader in Discovery Plant Sciences:
www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/gr...
🗓️ Closes 25 August Independent Fellowship in Plant-Associated Microbial Interactions:
www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/in...
🗓️ Closes 5 September
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reposted by
Michael Webster
Jogi Madhuprakash
11 months ago
🚨 New @biorxivpreprint alert! 🚨 We are thrilled to share our latest findings—building on our earlier work on suppressors of helper NLRs of the NRC family—a Phytophthora infestans L-shaped effector captures resistosome assembly intermediates of tomato NRC3!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/10
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reposted by
Michael Webster
Christine Faulkner
11 months ago
GROUP LEADER VACANCY JIC is recruiting a Group Leader in Discovery Plant Sciences. If you think your research would synergise and thrive at JIC, please apply.
www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/gr...
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Group Leader in Discovery Plant Sciences | John Innes Centre
The John Innes Centre (JIC) seeks a visionary Group Leader to lead research on Discovery Plant Science.
https://www.jic.ac.uk/vacancies/group-leader-in-discovery-plant-sciences/
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Norwich has a great structural biology community, join us :)
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about 1 year ago
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Michael Webster
Lori Passmore
about 1 year ago
New work from Matti Turtola showing that mRNA poly(A) tail length is controlled by a kinetic ruler. A real pleasure to work with him!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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A kinetic ruler controls mRNA poly(A) tail length
Poly(A) tails of newly synthesized mRNAs have uniform lengths, arising through cooperation between the cleavage and polyadenylation complex (CPAC) and poly(A) binding proteins (PABPs). In the budding ...
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.01.651612v1
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Michael Webster
Ben Engel
about 1 year ago
That's a fancy video. I was certainly surprised to see the Very Important Protein in Plants discovered in a tropical jungle🌴😅. It's pure marketing ofc (The Krios: Now in Black), but I do like the messaging about discovering the molecular world all around us-- including plants and cyanobacteria🧪🧶🧬🔬🌾🌊
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Michael Webster
Chris H. Hill
about 1 year ago
New cryo-EM/ET story - a brilliant collaboration with Sergey Melnikov's lab in Newcastle
@sergeymelnikov.bsky.social
and Stefan Pfeffer's lab in Heidelberg
@pfeffercryolab.bsky.social
. Great work in particular by Karla Helena-Bueno and
@sophiekopetschke.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Structurally heterogeneous ribosomes cooperate in protein synthesis in bacterial cells - Nature Communications
Cells can simultaneously produce structurally dissimilar ribosomes, suggesting functional specialization of distinct ribosome populations. Here, the authors show that distinct ribosomes cooperate rath...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57955-8
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reposted by
Michael Webster
Florent Waltz
about 1 year ago
The final version of our work on the in-cell architecture of the mitochondrial respiratory chain is now online in
@science.org
🎉 You can find the full story here
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@verenaresch.bsky.social
did a wonderful job on the cover and animation, she really brought it to life 👩🎨
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Michael Webster
Bird account
about 2 years ago
Been thinking about creating a collection of good protein structure figures, as inspiration for my own work. #1
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Michael Webster
Bird account
about 2 years ago
#2
doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
Nice comparison of structures within the context of a larger complex
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Thank you for this whole thread!🙏 I occasionally worry I invest too much time making figures, but this one post makes 100s of hours seem worth it!
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over 1 year ago
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Michael Webster
John Innes Centre
over 1 year ago
PRESS RELEASE - Professor Uauy appointed as Director of the John Innes Centre Following an international search, we are delighted to announce that Professor
@cristobaluauy.bsky.social
has been appointed as the next Director of the John Innes Centre.
www.jic.ac.uk/press-releas...
@ukri.org
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Professor Uauy appointed as Director of the John Innes Centre | John Innes Centre
Following an international search, Professor Cristóbal Uauy has been appointed as the next Director of the John Innes Centre. Professor Uauy is internationally recognised for his significant…
https://www.jic.ac.uk/press-release/professor-uauy-appointed-as-director-of-the-john-innes-centre/
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Amazing!
add a skeleton here at some point
over 1 year ago
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Michael Webster
John Innes Centre
over 1 year ago
Introducing JIC 👋 We are an independent, international centre of excellence in plant science, genetics and microbiology. Our institute aims to translate innovative and pioneering research into environmental and societal benefits 🌾🌍 Look out for new content soon and tag us in your posts!
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reposted by
Michael Webster
Ruben Gonzalez
over 1 year ago
Our latest work is out in Nature today! Using smFRET, we directly visualized recruitment of the eIF4F complex to the 5' cap of eukaryotic mRNAs and formation of an activated mRNA. Our findings reveal new and surprising roles for each eIF4F component. 1/3
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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reposted by
Michael Webster
Jerome Govin
over 1 year ago
CryoEM turns protein complexes into comic strips. 😍
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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Molecular basis of mRNA delivery to the bacterial ribosome
Protein synthesis begins with the formation of a ribosome-messenger RNA (mRNA) complex. In bacteria, the small ribosomal subunit (30S) is recruited to many mRNAs through base pairing with the Shine-Da...
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado8476
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reposted by
Michael Webster
Alexey Amunts
over 1 year ago
High-resolution template matching of the human ribosome in situ by Lippincott-Schwartz Lab
@hhmijanelia.bsky.social
@hhmi.bsky.social
. >40 conformations within together reveal molecular dynamics of the elongation cycle with previously unknown bending and “spring-like” motion.
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reposted by
Michael Webster
Ruben Gonzalez
over 1 year ago
Amazing work revealing the mechanisms by which mRNAs are delivered to the bacterial ribosome! 🤯 Congrats to the Weixlbaumer lab and their collaborators in the Walter and Rappsilber labs! 🍾
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Molecular basis of mRNA delivery to the bacterial ribosome
Protein synthesis begins with the formation of a ribosome-messenger RNA (mRNA) complex. In bacteria, the small ribosomal subunit (30S) is recruited to many mRNAs through base pairing with the Shine-Da...
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado8476
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Michael Webster
Di Jiang
over 1 year ago
This week in
@science.org
Molecular basis of
#mRNA
delivery to the bacterial
#ribosome
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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Molecular basis of mRNA delivery to the bacterial ribosome
Protein synthesis begins with the formation of a ribosome-messenger RNA (mRNA) complex. In bacteria, the small ribosomal subunit (30S) is recruited to many mRNAs through base pairing with the Shine-Da...
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado8476
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reposted by
Michael Webster
Pablo Alcón
over 1 year ago
Molecular basis of mRNA delivery to the bacterial ribosome. By the great
@michaelwebster.bsky.social
et al.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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Molecular basis of mRNA delivery to the bacterial ribosome
Protein synthesis begins with the formation of a ribosome-messenger RNA (mRNA) complex. In bacteria, the small ribosomal subunit (30S) is recruited to many mRNAs through base pairing with the Shine-Da...
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado8476
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reposted by
Michael Webster
Florent Waltz
over 1 year ago
How are mRNAs recruited to the ribosome small subunit in bacteria? Super cool story highlighting the role of bS1. Long standing basic questions answered there 🔬
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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Molecular basis of mRNA delivery to the bacterial ribosome
Protein synthesis begins with the formation of a ribosome-messenger RNA (mRNA) complex. In bacteria, the small ribosomal subunit (30S) is recruited to many mRNAs through base pairing with the Shine-Da...
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado8476
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reposted by
Michael Webster
Cornelius Gati
over 1 year ago
This is amazing!
@shervinnia.bsky.social
resurrected our cryoEM-papers bot. At it's peak we had over 12k followers on Twitter, but the bot became defunct by a silly Musk policy (and it all went downhill from there). If you want to keep up with
#cryoEM
papers, follow:
cryoempapers.bsky.social
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cryoEM papers (@cryoempapers.bsky.social)
Operated by @shervinnia.bsky.social and inspired by the now-defunct bot by Frédéric Poitevin and @gati.bsky.social. Suggestions welcome.
https://cryoempapers.bsky.social
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reposted by
Michael Webster
Jamie Cate
over 1 year ago
One of the most ancient sequences in biology, the peptidyl transferase center of the ribosome, is not as conserved as we might have thought.
#RNA
#Ribosomes
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Structure of an Archaeal Ribosome with a Divergent Active Site
The ribosome is the universal translator of the genetic code and is shared across all life. Despite divergence in ribosome structure over the course of evolution, the peptidyl transferase center (PTC)...
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.12.623245v1
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Our Cryo-EM study of how a plant disease assembles into a resistosome 👇🌿🔬❄️
add a skeleton here at some point
over 1 year ago
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