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Reposted by James A. Letts

bioRxiv Biochemistry @biorxiv-biochem.bsky.social · 1d

Structure of Photosystem I-FCP from giant kelp uncovers drivers of antenna evolution across the red lineage https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.07.680316v1

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James A. Letts @lettsscience.bsky.social · 15h

Deep new insights into the evolution of PSI from within the red-lineage, a diverse group of eukaryotes that evolved from secondary endosymbiosis of a red algae.

Exciting stuff!

James A. Letts @lettsscience.bsky.social · 15h

Exciting new preprint from the Maldonado Lab @ucdavis.bsky.social
Structure of photosystem I from Giant Kelp!! First brown algae structure of a photosystem and the first structure of any protein from giant kelp a major primary producer, ecosystem defining species.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Structure of Photosystem I-FCP from giant kelp uncovers drivers of antenna evolution across the red lineage

Brown algae and other red-algae-derived organisms such as diatoms are major contributors to global CO2 fixation via photosynthesis. To understand the photosynthetic function of brown algae, we obtaine...

www.biorxiv.org

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Reposted by James A. Letts

Filip Van Petegem @filipvanpetegem.bsky.social · 5d

Our cryo-EM structure of the intermediate state of the KCNQ1 potassium channel is out. Collaborative effort with the David Fedida and Luca Maragliano labs. Cryo-EM work spearheaded by Efthimios Kyriakis, PhD

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Reposted by James A. Letts

Ben Engel @cellarchlab.com · 13d

Time for a thread!🧵 How different is the molecular organization of thylakoids in “higher” plants🌱? To find out, we teamed up with @profmattjohnson.bsky.social to dive into spinach chloroplasts with #CryoET ❄️🔬. Curious? ..Read on!

#TeamTomo #PlantScience 🧪 🧶🧬 🌾
elifesciences.org/articles/105...
1/🧵

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Reposted by James A. Letts

Gabriela K Popescu @popstarlab.bsky.social · 14d

Cryo-EM snapshots of NMDA receptor activation illuminate sequential rearrangements | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Cryo-EM snapshots of NMDA receptor activation illuminate sequential rearrangements

Opening of the NMDA receptor involves bending of the helices lining the ion channel gate.

www.science.org

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Reposted by James A. Letts

Da-Neng Wang @danengw.bsky.social · 14d

Congratulations, Yifan, for the Anatrace Award! Yifan’s work on the TRPV1 structure with David Julius helped launch the Resolution Revolution in cryo-EM. Not just in membrane proteins—hardly any area of biophysics today has remained untouched by the techniques Yifan pioneered.

Biophysical Society @biophysicalsoc.bsky.social · 14d

Yifan Cheng to Receive 2026 Anatrace Membrane Protein Award buff.ly/ooI1UDy

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Reposted by James A. Letts

eLife @elife.bsky.social · 16d

⛓️ August’s most-read Structural Biology paper is a ‘landmark’ study, describing the structural mechanism of strand exchange by the RAD51 filament: buff.ly/CvSkF34

Have a paper people should see? See what our Editors look for: buff.ly/rr68suW

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Reposted by James A. Letts

eLife @elife.bsky.social · 18d

🌱 Using ‘compelling’ methods, including #CryoET, researchers mapped spinach thylakoid membranes at single-molecule precision, revealing how photosynthetic complexes are organised and settling long-standing debates on chloroplast architecture.
buff.ly/j3TSIkn

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Reposted by James A. Letts

Ben Engel @cellarchlab.com · 18d

A molecular-resolution look into the near-native architecture of the spinach chloroplast🌱. This one was a long time in the oven, but we're happy to finally share our "version of record". What long-standing debates did we settle? Check back for a short thread🧵 on Monday. #TeamTomo #PlantScience 🧪🧶🧬🔬🌾

eLife @elife.bsky.social · 18d

🌱 Using ‘compelling’ methods, including #CryoET, researchers mapped spinach thylakoid membranes at single-molecule precision, revealing how photosynthetic complexes are organised and settling long-standing debates on chloroplast architecture.
buff.ly/j3TSIkn

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Reposted by James A. Letts

Edwin Antony @professorantony.bsky.social · 27d

STRUCTURE OF A NITROGENASE-PII SUPERCOMPLEX
New work from the oxidoreductase half of the group.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Reposted by James A. Letts

Sazanov Lab @sazanovlab.bsky.social · 20d

How the twin-arginine translocase (Tat) system manages to transport folded proteins across membranes without any leaks? To answer this fundamental question we solved the first structure of TatB3C3 complex with bound cargo. Please check out new preprint!
t.co/962Kj9pt6F

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.16.676506v1

t.co

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Reposted by James A. Letts

Nature @nature.com · 20d

Nature research paper: Structural basis for mTORC1 activation on the lysosomal membrane

go.nature.com/3VmoKEU

Structural basis for mTORC1 activation on the lysosomal membrane - Nature

Cryo-electron microscopy was used to study human mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) activation on lysosomal membranes, showing progressive recruitment by RAG–Ragulator, RHEB and RAPTOR, culminating in mTOR–membrane engagement and full enzyme activation.

go.nature.com

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Reposted by James A. Letts

Rockefeller University Press @rupress.org · 21d

In this @jem.org Viewpoint a cross section of women, across multiple research fields, discuss their science and the process of setting up a lab as an independent researcher. rupress.org/jem/article/...
@quinascience.bsky.social @aweinstock.bsky.social @osterhoutlab.bsky.social
#WomeninSTEM

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Reposted by James A. Letts

Science Magazine @science.org · 27d

The photosystem I and light-harvesting proteins of marine coccolithophores assemble into a huge molecular machine that efficiently captures, transfers, and converts light energy, demonstrating the evolutionary diversity of photosynthesis.

Learn more this week in Science: https://scim.ag/4mZBkpy

The photosynthetic proteins of marine coccolithophores capture green light underwater and appear orange-red. Their photosystem I and light-harvesting proteins assemble into a huge molecular machine that efficiently captures, transfers, and converts light energy, demonstrating the evolutionary diversity of photosynthesis and the ultimate pursuit of light.

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Reposted by James A. Letts

Nature @nature.com · 28d

The Perseverance rover on Mars has observed unusual minerals associated with organic matter — raising questions about the geochemistry of ancient Mars.

go.nature.com/469V1nr

Mystery Martian minerals hint at the planet’s complex geochemical past

The Perseverance rover on Mars has observed unusual minerals associated with organic matter — raising questions about the geochemistry of ancient Mars.

go.nature.com

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Reposted by James A. Letts

Antoni Wrobel @agwrobel.bsky.social · Sep 8

Dear scientific community,

I am looking for two postdoctoral structural biologists to join my group at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford.

my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...

my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...

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Reposted by James A. Letts

Andrew Roger @andrewjroger.bsky.social · Aug 25

I gave a symposium talk at the European Society for Evolutionary Biology 2025 (#eseb2025) meeting last week and this was my title slide showcasing how I was speaking as an independent scientist because @dalhousieu.bsky.social @dalhousie.bsky.social has locked us out.

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Reposted by James A. Letts

DEEMteam_Orsay @deemteam.bsky.social · Aug 7

In our ongoing saga of description of new protists, we are happy to introduce Multisulcus malaysiensis, a deep-branching heterolobosean that forms highly unusual multiflagellated cells with multiple ventral grooves. Great work by @kristina-prokina.bsky.social

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

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Reposted by James A. Letts

Mizrahi Lab @mizrahilab.bsky.social · Aug 10

Archaea never stop to surprise us! 🌞 @bejalab.bsky.social @galitzlil.bsky.social discovered that marine archaea use carotenoid "antennas" to capture blue light, transferring the energy to their rhodopsin pumps. A huge leap in microbial photobiology!

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Structural insights into light harvesting by antenna-containing rhodopsins in marine Asgard archaea - Nature Microbiology

Uncultured open-ocean Asgard archaea can harvest light energy using rhodopsins and diverse hydroxylated carotenoid antennas.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by James A. Letts

Oli Clarke @olibclarke.bsky.social · Aug 3

very cool stuff and interesting note re the importance of linker length in isolation of the complex

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Reposted by James A. Letts

SheinerLab @sheinerlab.bsky.social · Jun 24

Team bioenergetics in divergent organisms is ready to go! #ICOP25 @macleanlab.bsky.social @lettsscience.bsky.social

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Reposted by James A. Letts

Ben Engel @cellarchlab.com · Jun 19

Woo! Very excited to share our collaborative work on the centriole's Luminal Distal Ring ⭕. This project started 13 years ago with @hugovdhoek.bsky.social & @stearnslab.bsky.social, and then beautifully came together with @computingcaitie.bsky.social & @centriolelab.bsky.social.
#TeamTomo #UExM 🧪🧶🧬🔬

Paul & Virginie - Centriole Lab @centriolelab.bsky.social · Jun 19

🚨 New preprint!
Using U-ExM + in situ cryo-ET, we show how C2CD3 builds an in-to-out radial architecture connecting the distal centriole lumen to its appendages. Great collab with @cellarchlab.com @chgenoud.bsky.social @stearnslab.bsky.social 🙌. #TeamTomo #UExM
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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James A. Letts @lettsscience.bsky.social · Jun 19

Our new preprint revealing a new mechanism of mitochondrial disease pathophysiology: the accumulation of toxic complex I intermediates bound to complex III

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

www.biorxiv.org

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Reposted by James A. Letts

Nature @nature.com · Jun 16

Proteins operate on a short timescale — on the order of a millisecond, or even faster

https://go.nature.com/4l7qAEm

Freeze frame: cracking molecular motion

Time-resolved cryo-electron microscopy can resolve protein motion on millisecond or even microsecond timescales, but the need for highly specialized tools and skills limits the method’s reach.

go.nature.com

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