Alexander Belyy

Overview of ADD-tagging including ADP-ribosyl cyclase (ADPRC)-catalysed dinucleotide substrate generation and two step chemoenzymatic labelling of target proteins with the flavin transferase ApbE, followed by click chemistry-based functional group attachment.

🚨 preprint 2️⃣ this month: our (purely experimental🧪) venture into #ChemBio
We prouldy present: ADD-tagging of proteins (or "ADDing") —a super convenient enzymatic technique to install click chemistry handles on proteins.
Led by superstar @wahyuwidodo.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A 🧵👇🏽

20.05.2025 12:29 — 👍 52    🔁 15    💬 4    📌 2

If u ever had to depict proteins as schematics in papers, u know the dilemma: how to create a pretty “blob”?
If structure ends up big & central, u’ll render it with PyMol et al, but for a truly schematic depiction u want a biorender-style icon, but for YOUR protein.
Think I’ve finally found a way.

03.05.2025 12:40 — 👍 190    🔁 46    💬 7    📌 0

Great work by @jakecolautti.bsky.social @dshatskiy.bsky.social Eileen Bates, Nathan P. Bullen & John C. Whitney

01.05.2025 15:37 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

#Pseudomonas aeruginosa destroys other #bacteria using #T6SS and its effectors during infection in #cysticfibrosis patients. Here, we determined the #cryo-EM #structure of the effector Ptx2, which depolarizes target bacterial membranes.

Check it out!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

01.05.2025 15:37 — 👍 6    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

Structure of the F-tractin-F-actin complex. A new study by Dmitry Shatskiy, Athul Sivan, Roland Wedlich-Söldner @uni-muenster.de, and Alexander Belyy @alexanderbelyy.bsky.social @unigroningen.bsky.social: https://buff.ly/3EIqAur

#Cytoskeleton #StructuralBiology #Biochemistry #Actin

17.02.2025 14:07 — 👍 18    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0

New: Using F-tractin to visualize #actin in living cells? Dmitry Shatskiy, Athul Sivan, Roland Wedlich-Söldner, and Alexander Belyy @alexanderbelyy.bsky.social determined the F-tractin-F-actin structure and showed that this probe is nearly identical to #Lifeact. https://buff.ly/3EIqAur
#cytoskeleton

10.02.2025 17:59 — 👍 21    🔁 6    💬 0    📌 0

Many thanks to @dshatskiy.bsky.social, Athul Sivan, and Roland Wedlich-Söldner for the excellent work!

#Actin #Ftractin #Cytoskeleton #Microscopy #StructuralBiology #CryoEM #Science

11.02.2025 17:38 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Finally, based on the structural data, we designed an optimized version of F-tractin. The result? Great labeling and minimal disturbance to actin dynamics! 🚀

11.02.2025 17:38 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

These structural results and the biochemical data show that the previously reported differences between these peptides originate from the flexible areas of F-tractin or from differential expression levels, rather than from fundamentally different modes of interaction with F-actin.

11.02.2025 17:38 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Unexpectedly, this binding site is nearly identical to the one of #Lifeact - the most popular probe for visualization of actin in living cells!

11.02.2025 17:38 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Using cryo-EM 🔬, we determined the structure of the F-tractin–F-actin complex at high resolution. We found its specific binding site, which explained its actin-binding properties!

Check out these structural insights! 📸

11.02.2025 17:38 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

F-tractin is a small peptide derived from the rat ITPKA protein that binds F-actin. It’s a go-to tool for actin #cytoskeleton visualization in live cells. But… how does it work at the molecular level? 🤔🔍

11.02.2025 17:38 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Structure of the F-tractin–F-actin complex | Journal of Cell Biology | Rockefeller University Press This study reveals the structure of F-tractin, a widely used peptide for visualizing the actin cytoskeleton, and introduces an optimized version that minim

Are you doing cell #biology? Then, let me guess, you likely stained #actin!

Our @jcb.org article reveals the structure of the popular actin probe F-tractin in complex with F-actin and introduces an optimized version for better imaging! A thread! 👀👇

rupress.org/jcb/article/...

11.02.2025 17:38 — 👍 11    🔁 2    💬 1    📌 0

If you think you know everything about enzymes, check this out, we have a surprise for you 😃

30.01.2025 19:18 — 👍 4    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0