structural-biology

Researchers created a DIA-MS atlas of 13,609 proteins across 2,856 samples from fetal, healthy adult, paired non-tumor, and tumor tissues. The resource maps tissue-specific protein patterns, cancer-associated changes, organ-specific drug-toxicity signals, and candidate therapeutic targets.

Scientists have discovered two biologically distinct subtypes of autism using brain imaging. By studying both mice and humans, researchers linked reduced brain connectivity to synaptic function and increased connectivity to immune system activity.

Nature Communications, Published online: 20 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74222-6 RNA acetylation by NAT10 is linked to disease, but its catalytic mechanism is unclear. Here, the authors report cryo-EM structures of Chaetomium thermophilum NAT10 in complex with a cytidine-CoA probe with and without ADP.

Nature, Published online: 19 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10812-0 Author Correction: Autophagic cell death restricts chromosomal instability during replicative crisis

Spinal degeneration, spinal deformity, and spinal cord injury (SCI) are classically managed as discrete biomechanical or neurological entities. However, emerging evidence reveals them as an interconnected pathological continuum. This mini-review introduces the “ferroptosis-mediated domino effect” as the core metabolic driver linking these conditions. The cascade initiates within the avascular int…

Nature Communications, Published online: 19 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74212-8 Henipaviruses are a group of emerging human pathogens including the deadly Nipah virus. Here, the authors biochemically, biophysically, and structurally investigate the antigenicity and functionality of their surface glycoproteins.

Nature Communications, Published online: 19 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74494-y Here the authors define the conformational landscape of human IP3R-2 and identify a ligand-dependent inter-channel interface that mediates receptor clustering during calcium signalling.

For decades, the existence of the hydrophobic core, a region in the 3D structure of proteins where hydrophobic amino acids reside together, has been considered a general property in proteins. What we have found now may extend that model. In particular, the rest of amino acids also seem to cluster together according to their chemical type (polar, acidic, basic, special), specifically in groups of …

Nature Communications, Published online: 18 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74059-z Predicting protein splitability is pivotal for engineering functional variants. Here the authors present SplitSeek-Pro, a deep learning model integrating sequence and 3D features to achieve accurate residue-resolution split site prediction for protein design.

Author: Hideaki Matsui Source: Niigata University Contact: Hideaki Matsui – Niigata University Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News. Original Research: Closed access. “A protective role for APP in nuclear waste clearance via lysosomal exocytosis” by Dougnon G, Otsuka T, Nakamura Y, Sakai A, Yamanaka T, Matsui N, Nakahara A, Ito A, Hatano A, […]

EMBL Grenoble Data Scientist for AI Alana Sousa talks about how she went from analysing star formation to improving a machine learning tool for crystal identification in structural biology.

Nature Communications, Published online: 18 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74470-6 PASTA-kinases govern the bacterial cell cycle. Here, authors solve the structure of the catalytic domain of the protein kinase StkP from Streptococcus pneumoniae and provide a mechanistic framework for its activation and regulation.

Researchers have captured the first atomic-level views of human SMUG1, a key enzyme involved in repairing damaged DNA. Every cell in your body is constantly battling damage to its DNA. Now, scientists have captured the first atomic level images of a key human repair enzyme in action, revealing how cells identify and remove some of [...]

Nature Communications, Published online: 17 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74316-1 Pulsed electron beams have been proposed to reduce cryo-EM radiation damage. Here, the authors compare pulsed and continuous illumination on three biological samples and find no significant difference in critical dose, showing no advantage over conventional illumination.

Nature, Published online: 17 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10660-y A spatially resolved map of the human proteome across a variety of healthy tissues and cancers provides wide-ranging insights in developmental biology and oncology, and could aid the identification of therapeutic targets and development of treatments for cancer.

Nature, Published online: 17 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10657-7 Cryo-electron microscopy and biochemical reconstitution experiments in yeast provide insight into the assembly of the CMGE complex, a helicase that establishes bidirectional DNA replication in eukaryotic cells, and elucidate the role of the firing factor Sld2.

Nature Communications, Published online: 16 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74427-9 SMCHD1 is a key player in X chromosome inactivation in mammals and has been linked to two human disorders. Here, the authors present insight into SMCHD1’s mode of interaction and functionality at its target sites.

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 16 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-02017-4 Author Correction: MISO regulates mitochondrial dynamics and mtDNA homeostasis by establishing membrane subdomains

Advances in structural biology have allowed scientists to determine molecular structures with atomic-level detail, sometimes yielding static snapshots that do not reflect the dynamism of proteins. However, these motions are often crucial for biological function. Researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), together with international collaborators, have now combined se…