Separating receptor and ligand

Separating receptor and ligand

Spines reach out ored dendritic spines look for new challenges, say David Richards, R. Anne McKinney (in work done at the University of Zurich, Switzerland), and colleagues. Spines are small dendritic protrusions on which excitatory synapses connect to axons. Recent evidence suggested that spines are mobile even in adults. Richards et al. now suggest that this mobility allows for post-developme...

Ligand Receptor

Ligand Receptor

Receptor rigidity and ligand mobility in trypsin-ligand complexes.

The trypsin-like serine proteases comprise a structurally similar family of proteins with a wide diversity of biological functions. Members of this family play roles in digestion, hemostasis, immune responses, and cancer metastasis. Bovine trypsin is an archetypical member of this family that has been extensively characterized both functionally and structurally, and that preferentially hydrolyz...

Ligand-receptor Interactions

The formation and dissociation of specific noncovalent interactions between a variety of macromolecules play a crucial role in the function of biological systems. During the last few years, three main lines of research led to a dramatic improvement of our understanding of these important phenomena. First, combination of genetic engineering and X ray cristallography made available a simultaneous...