Hannover offered brilliant crystallography but unfortunately, not crystal-clear air

I also couldn’t resist to stop by in the Wilhelm Busch Museum of Caricature and Drawings en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm....

It was also a pleasure to attend the DGK conference dgk-conference.de in Hannover, meet so many impressive scientists, and hear inspiring talks.✨

Here, RbAp46 has undergone its own transition – a carnivalistic one. And voilà – welcome the Cologne Fools’ Guild! #Cologne is one of the key cities for carnival celebrations, and today is #Rosenmontag – the peak of the festivities with grand parades and costumes.

In the drawing, the crab is shown playing with bubbles instead of catching prey, reflecting ErbB4 in its inactive state. When the time comes, this crab will switch from resting to working, catching its ligand and triggering vital cellular messages. But for now, it’s just a crab at rest.

Interestingly, the word “cancer” comes from the Latin for “crab” because some tumors resemble crabs with their radiating “legs.” images.slideplayer.com/42/11199685/...

When ErbB4 functions correctly, it supports growth and differentiation in tissues like the mammary gland and nervous system. However, if ErbB4 gets mutated, it might misfire, contributing to cancer.

These stamps send signals below the surface to creatures like clams (representing the intracellular enzyme part, not shown here). The clams snap their shells shut, passing messages further underground to other residents, much like a kinase enzyme triggers signaling cascades inside the cell.

Imagine the receptor part as a hardworking crab perched on the surface of a cell. The whole crab represents the receptor parts of two ErbB4 proteins. Its “arms” reach out to catch specific activating molecules called ligands. When the crab catches its “prey,” it stamps on the sea ground.

People with the most common form of late-onset Alzheimer’s often show elevated levels of BACE1. To highlight BACE1’s role in this disease, the enzyme is portrayed as an old man holding a leaky sack, with memories dripping away, capturing the heartbreaking loss of memory associated with Alzheimer’s.

One of the key mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease is the abnormal processing of a protein called amyloid β precursor protein (APP). BACE1, the protein featured in this drawing, is an enzyme that acts like molecular scissors, cutting APP in a way that contributes to the disease.

Age is the greatest risk factor, with approximately 5% of people aged 65–74 affected, and the probability rising to 13% for those in their next decade of life. This is a staggering figure, considering that it can strike anyone.

Fun fact: Did you know that #flies can taste sugar with their feet? Isn’t that a sweet connection?
asknature.org/strategy/fee...

To do this, it binds to a specialized receptor on the cell's surface. The "fly" in the drawing is inspired by the structure of an insulin dimer. Three of these dimers come together to form the inactive storage form of insulin, which is stabilized by a zinc ion.
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...

exposing them to magnetic fields, bombarding them with electrons, or employing advanced computational efforts to model their shapes. Obtaining each three-dimensional structure is a monumental undertaking. Honoring these human achievements through art is nothing less than deserved!

Proteins truly are marvels of nature, and life without them unimaginable. It’s these intricate, functional forms of proteins that fascinate scientists. Researchers go to great lengths to study these structures — #crystallizing proteins for X-ray imaging,

Some function as messengers or couriers. Others spin like hamsters in a wheel to generate energy. There are even proteins with decorative roles — like #keratin, the key protein in our hair. Often, proteins team up to form large complexes, creating pumps or even motors.

— much like we use different tools for different tasks: sharp ones for cutting, needle-shaped for piercing, and hollow for scooping. Our protein toolbox is incredibly diverse. Some proteins act as tiny scissors, while others provide structural support, holding cells together like a frame.