Dynamical properties of chromatin provide insights into key folding principles
Even though the three-dimensional static organization of chromatin is highly studied, chromatin is a dynamic structure, and time-dependent changes are crucial for biological function. Although it isβ¦
Imagine chromatin as a tangled origami kite string in a breeze. Kadam et al. tracked how bits of that string jiggle over time and found that loop-extruding motors (like wind gusts) can dominate dynamics even when static folds look controlled by other interactions.
17.10.2025 14:07 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Putting a lid on it: The N-terminal helix of Arf1 inhibits switching via uniform stabilization
The Arf and Arf-like GTPases, unlike all other Ras family GTPase members, exhibit a repressed conformation in their inactive, GDP-bound form. An important component of this autoinhibition is theirβ¦
The study reveals that the N-terminal helix of Arf1, a GTPase, maintains the protein in the repressed state that is unique to Arf and Arf-like GTPases via overall stabilization of the native state, and no allosteric communication is involved with the switch region.
16.10.2025 18:04 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Special issue call for papers: Viral Biophysics.
16.10.2025 13:31 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Mapping single-cell rheology of ascidian embryos in the cleavage stages using AFM
During early embryo development, cell division is highly organized and synchronized. Understanding the mechanical properties of embryonic cells as a material is crucial in elucidating the physicalβ¦
Think of each embryo cell as a jelly-bean with a trampoline skin. Kotani et al. used AFM to press and release and map how βstiffβ or βbouncyβ each bean is during cleavage. They revealed a mechanical topography of the early embryo all in one map.
15.10.2025 14:04 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Long-range viscosity of the plasma membrane of a living cell measured by a shear-driven flow method
The viscosity of the plasma membrane in living cells is a crucial biophysical parameter that regulates cellular functions. We categorize the plasma membrane viscosity into short-range and long-rangeβ¦
#OPENACCESS: Think the cell membrane flows like a fluid? It depends on scale!
Sakuma et al. measure long-range viscosity in the early C. elegans embryo and find it is four orders of magnitude greater than short-range viscosity, likely due to the actin cytoskeleton.
14.10.2025 14:04 β π 3 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
AlphaFold2 captures conformational transitions in the voltage-gated channel superfamily
Voltage-gated cation channels are crucial membrane proteins responsible for the electrical activity in excitable nerve, muscle, and cardiac tissue. These channels respond to changes in the membraneβ¦
An attempt to sample diverse conformations of the voltage-gated channel superfamily via AlphaFold2 predicts activated, deactivated, and intermediate states, and it also shows that the prediction of coupled conformational changes across functional domains is limited.
10.10.2025 14:04 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Special issue call for papers: Modeling Biology at Multiple Scales: From Macromolecules to Cells, Dedicated to Jie Liang.
09.10.2025 19:30 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Hunting for vesicles and chromosomes under time constraints
The remarkable property of microtubules is a stochastic alternation between their growth and shrinkage, termed dynamic instability, which has been shown to be vital in their role in capturing andβ¦
In the New and Notable "Hunting for vesicles and chromosomes under time constraints," Maja Novak highlights the paper "Branching, crosslinking and decentralization of microtubules accelerates intracellular assembly."
09.10.2025 14:02 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Adhesion-regulated dynamics of cells
A wide variety of dynamic behaviors of cells are closely associated with the active contraction of the cytoskeleton and the cell-substrate adhesion. By inhibiting cell-substrate adhesion, here weβ¦
Cytoskeletal contractions donβt just power movement. Sun et al. combine live-cell experiments and simulations to show that inhibiting cell-substrate adhesion spontaneously triggers diverse dynamic behaviours β from oscillations to protrusions to spreading.
08.10.2025 18:01 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
The role of hydrophobic collapse in cytotoxic and functional amyloid oligomerization
βAmyloidβ refers to an insoluble, highly organized protein fibril composed of intermolecular Ξ² sheets, known as a cross-Ξ² motif. Amyloidogenic proteins are generally driven to aggregate into tightlyβ¦
#OPENACCESS: Through MD simulations of Ξ²-endorphin31 and amyloid-Ξ²42 peptides, the authors demonstrate that maintaining a collapsed state is essential for aberrant oligomerization, underscoring the role of hydrophobic sequences in stabilizing aggregate structures.
06.10.2025 18:02 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Spatially bound functional heterogeneity drives modular organization in Ξ²-cell networks
Coordinated responses of pancreatic Ξ²-cell networks to changes in extracellular nutrient concentrations are a well-established phenomenon with significant implications for insulin secretion. Thisβ¦
#OPENACCESS: Ξ²-cell networks act like neighborhoods with quirky shopsβeach spot has its specialty, and together they form a modular city! Maja Duh et al. 2025 reveal how spatially bound heterogeneity organizes insulin-secreting communities.
03.10.2025 14:05 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Special issue call for papers: Martin Karplus: In Memoriam.
02.10.2025 13:30 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
PIP2 regulation of TRPV4 channels: Binding sites and dynamic coupling
Transient Receptor Potential subfamily V4 (TRPV4) is a nonselective cation channel that plays important roles in thermo-sensing, osmoregulation, nociception, and bone homeostasis. The activities ofβ¦
Combining structural analysis, docking, and atomistic simulations, this new study identifies a dynamic membrane-facing groove as a potential PIP2 binding site on TRPV4, disputing earlier claims of other proposed binding sites.
01.10.2025 18:02 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Geometry effects on protein mobility in a synapse
It is generally assumed that synaptic function requires a tight regulation of the mobility and localization of synaptic proteins. Evidence for this hypothesis has been difficult to gather. Proteinβ¦
#OPENACCESS: Protein motion in a synapse is like cars in a roundaboutβgeometry dictates the traffic flow! Simon Dannenberg et al. 2025 show how shape sculpts protein mobility at these tiny junctions.
30.09.2025 14:04 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Special issue call for papers: Viral Biophysics.
29.09.2025 13:31 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 1
Lorenzetti et al. present HiFRAP, an ImageJ/Python tool that extracts kinetic parameters from noisy or imperfect FRAP data, without requiring knowledge of the initial bleach profile. buff.ly/NV1luOp
25.09.2025 14:05 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Special issue call for papers: Modeling Biology at Multiple Scales: From Macromolecules to Cells, Dedicated to Jie Liang.
24.09.2025 19:31 β π 3 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Ciliary wavelength has its limits
Motile cilia are microscopic cellular appendages that beat in fluid to clear mucus from our airways, circulate cerebrospinal fluid in our brains, and determine the left-right asymmetry of our organsβ¦
In the New and Notable "Ciliary wavelength has its limits ," Louis G. Woodhams highlights the paper "The wavelength of the ciliary beat in Chlamydomonas saturates at long ciliary lengths ."
23.09.2025 14:03 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Special issue call for papers: Retinal Proteins: Experiment and Computation.
22.09.2025 13:31 β π 1 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
Special issue call for papers: Martin Karplus: In Memoriam.
19.09.2025 19:30 β π 1 π 2 π¬ 0 π 0
Special issue call for papers: Viral Biophysics.
18.09.2025 13:31 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0