The Mycobacterium tuberculosis very-long-chain fatty acyl-CoA synthetase: structural basis for housing lipid substrates longer than the enzyme

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Highlights? M. tuberculosis FadD13 is a peripheral membrane protein ? Mutagenesis reveals an arginine-rich patch as the site for membrane interaction ? A hydrophobic tunnel extends from the active site to the positively charged patch ? The architecture lets substrates reside partly in the membrane during catalysis     

Microautophagy of cytosolic proteins by late endosomes

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Highlights? Late endosomes take up cytosolic proteins through membrane invaginations ? Endosomal microautophagy (eMI) requires multivesicular body formation ? hsc70 mediates selective targeting of cytosolic proteins during eMI ? hsc70 binds to the endosomal membrane through its polybasic cluster     

Structure of an Asymmetric Ternary Protein Complex Provides Insight for Membrane Interaction

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Highlights? S100A10, annexin A2, and AHNAK are involved in membrane repair ? The AHNAK binding region forms a coiled structure ? Both S100A10 and annexin A2 make contacts to AHNAK and are necessary for binding ? The asymmetric architecture provides a model for AHNAK translocation to the membrane     

Folding and Self-Assembly of the TatA Translocation Pore Based on a Charge Zipper Mechanism

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Highlights? Charge zippers as a new concept for folding and assembly of membrane proteins ? 3D structure of TatA pore explains translocation of folded proteins across membrane ? Ladders of salt bridges connect an amphiphilic palisade that can span the bilayer ? MD simulations and specific charge mutations support the charge zipper model     

Proton-Coupled Dynamics in Lactose Permease

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Highlights? Deprotonation of Glu325 brings H⁺ translocation and sugar-binding sites together ? Deprotonation of Glu325 closes the internal water-filled cytoplasmic cavity ? Deprotonated LacY inserted into DMPC lipids shows no structural rearrangements ? The structural changes show remarkable similarities to experimental observations     

Plasma Membrane Tethering of the Cortical ER Necessitates Its Finely Reticulated Architecture

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Highlights? The VAP proteins sustain the ER-plasma membrane attachment in fission yeast ? Footprint of the ER on the cortex is functionally insulated from the cytosol ? Division-site placement requires a patchwork of cortical sites accessible to cytosol     

An OsCEBiP/OsCERK1-OsRacGEF1-OsRac1 Module Is an Essential Early Component of Chitin-Induced Rice Immunity

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Highlights? Chitin induces rapid activation of the rice small GTPase OsRac1 at the plasma membrane ? OsRacGEF1 interacts with and acts as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for OsRac1 ? In response to chitin, OsRacGEF1 is activated via phosphorylation by OsCERK1 ? OsRacGEF1 is required for chitin-driven immunity and resistance to rice blast fungus     

The Centrosome Regulates the Rab11- Dependent Recycling Endosome Pathway at Appendages of the Mother Centriole

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Highlights? Endosome-proteins localize to centrosomes independent of membranes ? Rab11 and its modulators localize to mother centriole appendages ? Mother centriole appendages regulate membrane recycling through Rab11     

Solution structure of the ESCRT-I and -II supercomplex: implications for membrane budding and scission

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Highlights? Solution structures of yeast ESCRT-II complex and ESCRT-I-II supercomplex ? ESCRT-I-II has compact, crescent-shaped, and highly extended conformations ? ESCRT-I-II crescent shapes can be docked into a model vesicle bud neck ? Model for coupling of cargo sorting, membrane budding, and membrane scission     

Triacylglycerol Synthesis Enzymes Mediate Lipid Droplet Growth by Relocalizing from the ER to Lipid Droplets

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Highlights? Triacylglyceride (TG) synthesis is coupled with lipid droplet (LD) growth ? Two LD populations exist: growing LDs, containing TG enzymes, and small LDs ? Specific TG synthesis enzymes move from the ER to LDs through membrane bridges ? LD localization of TG enzymes mediates expansion of a subset of LDs     

Phage pierces the host cell membrane with the iron-loaded spike

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Highlights? Phage tails and other contractile injection systems contain a central spike protein ? The tip of the spike is “hardened” by a centrally positioned iron ion ? The spike appears to pierce the host cell membrane without unfolding ? An OB-fold with an extra β-hairpin is a conserved feature of all central spikes     

Cell-free Expressed Bacteriorhodopsin in Different Soluble Membrane Mimetics: Biophysical Properties and NMR Accessibility

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Highlights? Bacteriorhodopsin (bR) is NMR accessible in nanodiscs and amphipols ? Nonconventional surfactants offer increased stability for cell-free expressed bR ? The bR-membrane interface is highly adaptable in the selected membrane mimetics ? Applications and limitations of the environments for NMR studies are discussed     

The Glove-like Structure of the Conserved Membrane Protein TatC Provides Insight into Signal Sequence Recognition in Twin-Arginine Translocation

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Highlights? Crystal structures of TatC from the thermophile Aquifex aeolicus are presented ? The architecture of TatC generates a glove-shaped pocket buried in the bilayer ? Molecular dynamics reveal destabilization of the membrane around the pocket ? Correlation to biochemical results suggest the signal sequence binds in this pocket     

Two distinct binding modes define the interaction of Brox with the C-terminal tails of CHMP5 and CHMP4B

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Highlights? CHMP5 binds and recruits Brox to membrane fractions through its C-terminal tail ? The CHMP5 C-terminal tail adopts a tandem β-hairpin structure ? The CHMP4B C-terminal tail α helix binds at a concave surface of Brox ? The CHMP5 β-hairpins and CHMP4B α helix bind the same surface at Brox     

Molecular and structural basis of ESCRT-III recruitment to membranes during archaeal cell division

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Highlights? A conserved protein, CdvA, recruits ESCRT-III to membranes during cell division ? Recruitment is mediated by a peptide-winged helix domain interaction ? We have determined the structure of this complex ? CdvA and a single ESCRT-III protein can drive membrane deformation in vitro     

Out but Not In: The Large Transmembrane β-Barrel Protein FhuA Unfolds but Cannot Refold via β-Hairpins

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Highlights? Mechanical un- and refolding studies of single large transmembrane β-barrel proteins ? FhuA unfolds via highly reproducible steps formed by single β-hairpins ? Once unfolded, FhuA folds into highly irreproducible structures ? To assist folding into the membrane, FhuA may require cofactors     

Local zones of endoplasmic reticulum complexity confine cargo in neuronal dendrites

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Highlights? The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in dendrites shows spatial variation in complexity ? Increased complexity occurs at dendritic branch points, confining membrane cargo ? An mGluR/PKC/CLIMP63 pathway bidirectionally regulates ER complexity ? ER complexity controls dendritic morphogenesis and defines sites of branch formation     

Structure and 3D Arrangement of Endoplasmic Reticulum Membrane-Associated Ribosomes

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Highlights? Subtomogram average of the canine ER-associated ribosome in situ at 31 Å resolution ? Large subunit rRNA ES27L is in direct contact with the ER membrane ? Sec61, TRAP, and potentially OST and the SP complex are resolved ? ER-associated ribosomes adopt a preferred arrangement, likely polyribosome specific     

Aggregation of islet amyloid polypeptide: from physical chemistry to cell biology

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Highlights? Islet amyloid contributes to type-2 diabetes and to islet transplant failure. ? IAPP is natively unfolded, but is one of the most amyloidogenic proteins known. ? High resolution models of IAPP amyloid fibers are available. ? Anionic lipids and glycosaminoglycans catalyze IAPP amyloid formation in vitro. ? There are multiple mechanisms of IAPP induced β-cell toxicity.     

Structure of lipid kinase p110β/p85β elucidates an unusual SH2-domain-mediated inhibitory mechanism

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Highlights? Both nSH2 and cSH2 domains of p85 inhibit basal activity of p110β ? p110β/p85β structure shows cSH2 contacts the C terminus of p110β ? Relief of cSH2 inhibition, unlike nSH2, requires extending beyond the pYXXM motif ? p110β C terminus is critical for phosphorylation of lipids and activation by RTKs